Evander's Heir III:  The Wrath of Armentarius
by ShepsReyna
Summary: The third segment of Sheppard and team adventures where Sheppard continues to acquire powers and begins to organize against the Wraith.  An A/U explanation of Sheppard's gene abilities or what could have been. Some profanity and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Well here it is. Sorry it has taken so long, but I had major writer's block. I wanted to get the story done before posting but I just figured out I think what I want to do big picture but posting will be kind of slow because this is a work in progress and will be writing chapters rather than just cleaning them up. I hope you can forgive me but I just wanted to re-engage the community and hope to get inspiration from you.**

**All rights belong to the Stargate folks and Star Wars folks and everyone else where I might reference. I make no profit from any of this at all and this is just for fun so please allow me that simple pleasure because I have a family to feed. I do have other stories written for Flashpoint and Emergency! as they kept the writing juices flowing while I sorted out where to take Sheppard and company next so you may see those stories posted, but those are done and the only one I am writing new is this one. Thanks to so many of you who checked in periodically and told me you re-read the others and offered encouragement to continue. That meant a great deal and I hope this story interests you as the others. Thank you all kindly in advance for your feedback, suggestions and questions. I welcome all.**

**Finally thanks to beta Carol and this story is for M-C, a dear friend currently in the desert who will return soon.**

The Wrath of Armentarius

Chapter 1-Queens, Viscounts and Visions

"You asked her to be your queen?" McKay said half choking on his food. "Are you serious?"

Ronon watched the interchange between his two friends. _This should be good_, he thought.

Sheppard scowled as he looked across the table as an attendant filled his glass. McKay, oblivious to his friend's displeasure, continued.

"Well I guess it is over the top, but kind of corny don't you think? I mean you two haven't even dated or anything. It just seems kind of sudden. Doesn't seem your style to rush into things."

Sheppard kept his eyes on McKay and resisted the urge to make him fall asleep on his plate of food. McKay looked up and realized he had seen that glare before. He shifted uneasily. "Hey don't you dare be thinking of pulling your Darth Vader act on me," he finally said trying to muster up indignant bravado.

Sheppard leaned back and grinned slightly. They could never truly know how he had changed. He had been stupid before and had hidden behind his role as team leader. He wasn't really different; he just knew what he wanted. "Watch it Rodney," he drawled, "I'll put you in the dungeon and I promise the food won't be as good as what you are stuffing your face with right now."

The Satedan burst out laughing. "You are so dumb sometimes, McKay." Ronon said. "They have cared for each other all along; are you that dense? Besides, Teyla deserves to be a queen. I don't think its rushing, I am just glad you finally woke up John."

Sheppard was surprised the Satedan had been more perceptive about his feelings than even he had been. "I have been married before guys. Teyla and I aren't getting married tomorrow. It could take up to a year to plan this thing. Apparently there is some text about how to conduct it. Anyway, I have to go. Have court to hold or something like that." Sheppard stood to leave and Ronon put a hand on his arm. "John, I am really happy for you and Teyla. I mean it."

"Thanks, Ronon." Sheppard said quietly, then left. Ronon took the opportunity to throw a roll at McKay.

"Hey what was that for?"

"Our best friend tells us he is marrying our other best friend and that is the best you can do. Sometimes for a really smart person you are really stupid." Ronon left shaking his head and McKay sulked in his chair.

"I think it's cool too," McKay said to himself. "Just surprised is all."

0000000000

"Your majesty, here is your robe." Samsus said with a nod toward Sheppard's valet. Sheppard slipped his arms in the sleeves. He said nothing as Samsus continued to read the docket for the day. Usually it was to grant permission for various things, blessings on new children. It was forbidden to take the name of a king, so no children were named Armentarius but the name John had suddenly become popular much to his chagrin. Something caught his attention. "What was that Sam?"

The old man shook his head as he picked up the larger crown from the pillow it sat on. He placed it on Sheppard's head. "Were you not listening to me your majesty?"

Sheppard shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Of course I was…mostly."

Samsus grinned. "Col. Stephen Caldwell will be formally requesting permission to marry Lady Shimon. Your are the head of the royal families so permission must be sought from you."

"I don't mind, but it would seem that giving permission would fall to Sarik."

Samsus looked over Sheppard from head to toe as he always did and managed to find the smallest piece of lint. "It was cleared through him of course but final disposition must come from you."

"The law, I guess?"

"Yes my lord." Samsus said. Sheppard adjusted the crown. It was the official one so a bit heavier. He could feel the stones in it send their energy to him. Evander had created "smart crowns" so to speak. They weren't just adornments but tools. A way to record information for safe keeping and future reference but also a repository for him to use when he needed information. It was a neat little trick because his own knowledge transfered to them and he always had access to information about his guests, diplomats, etc. He wished he could find a way to adapt it to pilot helmets or helmets for his warriors but only he could access the information this way and only those with the gene would even find it useful. "Any word from Woolsey?"

"He is due to return tomorrow."

"Atlantis?"

"General Simion reports no difficulties. Maj Lorne and he have been collaborating with training and defense exercises. The Wraith seem to present no threat at this moment."

"Teyla. Is she still there?"

"Yes Your Royal Highness. She is preparing her people who wish to move to your worlds here."

"Has there been any resistance to this?"

"No my lord. There is excitement. We have a small populace across our four worlds and they should find our worlds welcoming."

Sheppard sighed. "Okay, well let's get this show on the road."

Samsus laughed softly. Not at what Sheppard had said but rather that he had begun to learn the king's colorful language.

Sheppard led the way toward the throne room. He didn't cringe when others bowed to him on the way or when doors were opened. He managed to not groan when the music announced his presence. This may not have been what he had chosen for himself, but he was a practical man and fighting who he was expended too much effort. He hated to admit it sometimes, but he did feel like this is where he had always belonged. He sighed as he wondered what his own family on Earth would have thought of all of this.

He sat on the throne and waited. He saw General O'Neill off in the wings talking with the Guardians. Sheppard sighed. The worst part of all of this was the formality-certain words had to be used to convey certain things. Some things had to be spoken in Ancient and others in the Modern Armentarian derivative of Ancient; but mostly it was English. He marveled at that as well. These entire worlds had learned English because of him, before he had even come here, because of a vision of one man. He closed his eyes at the memory of his friend but could still feel his presence.

"Your Royal Highness," Samsus announced. "Colonel Stephen Caldwell of Terra and the Lady Shimon of Arcadia."

Caldwell was in traditional Arcadian formal wear...black tunic with the high collar and embroidered with the planet's symbol. The dark pants had a broad light blue stripe. It was mlitary in nature with polished belt around the waste and down from the shoulder. The pilot walked in his usual confident manner and with a slight grin that grew broader as the colonel turned to look at Shimon. They both stood in front of Sheppard and bowed. Caldwell then stepped forward and knelt on his left knee. "Great King Armentarius," the colonel said in near perfect Ancient, "I request the hand of Lady Shimon of Arcadia. We ask your permission and your blessing. We pledge to you and your people our continued devotion and allegiance."

Sheppard stood and in Ancient spoke. "Do you ask of your free will Stephen Caldwell?"

"Yes my lord." Caldwell had grown accustomed to Sheppard's role and now that the king was not officially in the Air Force, there was no awkwardness of rank or role.

Sheppard stepped forward and took Shimon's hand. "And you cousin, do you request this of your free will?"

"Yes my lord," Shimon said with a broad smile toward Caldwell.

Sheppard returned her smile as he continued to hold her hand and walked back toward Caldwell. He placed a hand on Caldwell's shoulder and the colonel rose. Sheppard placed Shimon's hand on Caldwell's.

"Do you understand Stephen, that by marrying Lady Shimon that you will become a citizen of these worlds and must defend them as your own?"

"Yes I do." Caldwell said pointedly. Woolsey had already sent his retirement papers in. If he returned to Earth it would no longer be as an Air Force officer, and frankly he had nothing waiting for him there.

Sheppard grinned mischievously as he turned from them and said in English, "The law dictates that no one of the royal household will marry an off world commoner. It is a very old law, before the time of Evander, but it is clear."

Shimon looked panicked and Caldwell was doing his best not to glare at Sheppard. Surely they had not gone through all that to just be denied. Sheppard turned to an attendant who handed him something small. "So I must remedy that situation. Colonel Stephan Caldwell, your devotion to these worlds has been clearly demonstrated. I hereby proclaim that you shall be granted lands on the planet Aracdia with the title of Viscount of Stiran. Of course, that is, if you accept…"

Caldwell grinned. "I accept with gratitude." Caldwell squeezed Shimon's hand then accepted the small scrolled papers from Sheppard's extended hands.

"Very well," Sheppard said reverting back to Ancient. "There is no law barring you from this union. Permission is granted with our blessing."

Sheppard stepped forward and shook Caldwell's hand. "Congratulations, sir," he said softly.

"Thank you, John," Caldwell whispered. Caldwell and Shimon walked backwards for a while hand in hand until they reached some invisible line, then bowed and walked out the door.

Sheppard grinned as he watched them leave. He never thought that would happen. He caught O'Neill's eye. _What about you, General?_

O'Neill smirked back and shook his head. _Not yet_.

Sheppard nodded and sat back down on the throne and welcomed a procession of babies-many with the name John. He was pleased to hear an occasional Ronon and even a Jack amongst the Johns and various traditional names. Finally the docket was empty and Sheppard was glad because his head had started to hurt.

Once back in his chambers with his crown and robe retired, he decided to lie in bed and read for a while. He had a strategy meeting later in the day and he wanted his mind clear. He picked up the mammoth _War and Peace_. It always worked in getting him drowsy.

oooooooooo

He dreamt of Qui-Gon Jinn-or at least someone that looked like him-tall, long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Even in his dream he knew it was odd. But this person was a leader as others surrounded him, and he was holding up a very familiar looking stone. He woke up briefly. It wasn't a dream. This Qui-Gon was not in Jedi garb but black with hard leather protection. Sheppard stood up quickly and ran to the next room. He looked through various uniforms but particularly the battle ones. Then he saw it. _, he thought_. There was a black tunic and pants. The tunic wrapped around into a v-neck and was similar to a Japanese robe. He put the tunic aside and looked at the light armor of hard leather chest, shoulder, leg and arm plates. In his dream, the Qui-Gon look alike had shining black embroidery intertwined in the symbol of the four planets. His own was silver. It had not been a dream but a vision. He had men back on Earth and they were calling for him. _Samsus! _he called out. He looked around for a bag or suitcase as a sense of urgency over took him. Where the heck was a simple bag. _Samsus!_ he called out again. He grabbed the black tunic and armor and lay it on the bed. He had worn it in the ceremony after the defeat of Vanitis and in various other ceremonies, but no one had explained its significance and he had not asked.

Samsus came rushing in. "Yes my lord. What has happened?"

Sheppard looked at the older man as he pointed to the black gear. "Sam, what is the significance of this particular armor? It is different than all the rest. None of the generals have worn it and I thought it only for me."

"It is my lord. Only a member of the Order of the Pegasi may wear it. Each of the Guardians is a member but besides them the order has long been gone…left with Evander. The order was comprised mostly of Ancients or those with Ancient blood. Highly trained to protect the King and fight the Wraith in small groups. They led the most dangerous of missions covertly. Why do you ask me this now?"

Sheppard picked up the black chest plate and ran his hand over the silver embroidery. "Because they are not gone. I have found them, or maybe they have found me."

Samsus looked at Sheppard incredulously. "How? Where?"

Sheppard set the armor down. "Earth."

Samsus thought a moment. Yes it was possible. But it could also be a trap.

"I must go and get them," Sheppard said looking around absently.

Samsus reached out and grabbed his arm. "It could be a trap, Sire."

"What could be a trap?" O'Neill asked walking in. He had his fishing pole. There was just enough time before the meeting later this afternoon to try to catch dinner.

Sheppard ignored O'Neill. "No, Sam. I am sure it's not. I can feel it. They have been waiting. I dreamt of images before but this was stronger…a vision, maybe the same Sophistides had of me. This time I saw a face and the stone. Before I just saw images of battles…just tons of dreams like that so I didn't make anything of it, but this time it was more than that. We need to ready the ship. I don't want to use the Stargate."

"Sire, are you not rushing too quickly? What is the urgency?"

Sheppard looked out toward the open window. "I don't know, Sam, but something is…I just need to get the Pegasi. Something is wrong and I am going to need their help."

"Who the hell are the Pegasi?" O'Neill asked again exasperated and tired of being ignored.

Sheppard looked at O'Neill and smiled at seeing the general in his fishing hat. "Sorry sir, I need to take a raincheck." Sheppard turned to Samsus, "Please Sam, explain it to him," he said as he turned to walk out the door.

"Don't get yourself in trouble or anything Your Majesty!" O'Neill called after him. He drawled the Your Majesty. "I am getting too old to keep saving your butt!" O'Neill sighed. "Sometimes he's like a kid…a teenage kid that doesn't listen to anyone or anything but is stubborn and does what he wants when he thinks it's the right thing." O'Neill noticed Samsus' gaze on him. "What?"

"Are you describing his Majesty or yourself, General?" O'Neill frowned, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it when nothing came to mind. He rolled his neck to get a kink out then headed out the door. "I'll be leading the search for Elizabeth."

Samsus bowed with a grin. "Yes, General."

oooooooooo

"Who are the Pegasi?" Lorne asked as he strapped in.

Sheppard sighed. He was getting tired of the questions. He closed his eyes and sent the information to the team, which consisted of Lorne, Lear, and Ronon. He knew he would not need more; his ship could only hold about 20 and he was not sure how many Pegasi would be there to bring back.

Lorne looked at him and smiled. "Cool, like your own knights."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. He had not thought of it that way. Great. That is all he needed from his men, something else for them to tease him about. "No, Major, I had not considered it that way. I just know that they are on our side."

"Yes sir, if you say so." Lorne finished the checks. "All systems are on line. Hyper-drive checks out."

"Good. Chewie? Strap in. Lear, once we clear the system set a course for Earth with the hyper-drive. Lorne, what about the cloaking shield?"

"It works sir. We're good to go."

Sheppard grinned. "Great, then let's go."

Lorne watched Sheppard fluidly and with little thought initiate the systems. There was barely perceptible movement within the cockpit as they exited the atmosphere, and Lorne thought it was almost magical how they communicated mostly telephathically. Things ran a lot quicker when you didn't have to speak. They were soon out of the system and Lear initiated the hyper-drive. It would only take hours-as impossible as that sounded. Evander must have been some tinkerer.

000000000000

"Tristan, do you think the king will come?"

The tall bearded man smiled. "Yes Titus," Tristan said in an Irish accent, "I know he understood enough to know that we are friends and that we may be able to help him. I think wearing our armor and showing the stone gave him enough information. I believe he will be here soon." Tristan looked out across the green land. "I will miss this world but it will be good to return to ours. We have been here long enough, trained long enough, and eliminated threats to this world so that the prophecy could be fulfilled." He held up the stone. "The second stone of Evander will confirm that he is indeed the king, and finally give him all the knowledge and abilities Evander left for his heir. Then we can go home."

**Wanted to give a strong visual for Tristan and Qui-Gon (or Mr. Neeson as Qui Gon) was the exact image I had...accent and all. Wanted to tie in a little of Earth to the Pegasus worlds of Sheppard and take liberty with the Ancients or Evander's very uniuqe Ancients. Started Chapter Two but it will be a little while. Sheppard has one more stone to reach his full potential.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dear friends, please accept my apologies for taking so long to post. Literally the day after posting the first chapter of this segment work, kids school, life got extremely busy and I had so little time to write. It was difficult since I did not have this chapter written or this story so clearly in my head. I can only think to continue writting and hope that it will make sense in the end. Your words and even if you don't leave words but your Story alerts keep me motiviated to keep going. I am just sorry it is taking me so long as I want the story to be worth it to you. I have to say that this chapter is set up and back ground, a chapter or two before any real action but I have some ideas. Thank you so much for your patience and for reading. I hope I responded to your reviews if you left one..I tried to do so promptly. If I did not I thank you for taking the time to send them...in many respects they were like a lifeline as I try to sort out where I am going with this.**

Chapter 2

The Order of the Pegasi

Tristan looked out of the cave across the ocean. It would be good to return to Quidari. The land there was green as it was here. It was why they had chosen this piece of Terra, or rather why he had chosen this land. The others went along because they would follow him anywhere since he had made the greatest sacrifice of all of them. The other Pegasi had been young, as he had been, but he had left a family-left them out of duty, hoping to return to them. He sighed as the cool air touched his face. It had been his choice but he was also of the Order, hand picked by Evander for missions others could not do. When Evander took Roharin to Earth, Tristan knew the plan was the last hope they had. His family understood this, his men understood this, but many had sacrificed.

"I hope you are the king," Tristan said to the one flying toward him. "I hope we can go home. I swore to Evander I would protect you." He and the other Pegasi followed the line of Evander and that line had led to one named Sheppard. Tristan laughed. Yes that was an appropriate name for the grandson of Evander. He held the stone in his hand and looked out toward the ocean a moment longer. It had been no difficulty hiding from the humans here and watching the line of Evander reach fruition, but he was ready to battle the Wraith. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned.

"All is prepared, Tristan."

"Thank you Titus. He should be here soon if he comes on the ship Evander had left for him. And he may be pleased to see what further tools we have for him."

"Aye," Titus said with a smile. "We have had plenty of time to work on them."

Tristan stood. "Well, I hope you are packed, my friend. We will be going home soon." He would miss this land, but it was the home world of the king so they would return.

000000000000000000

"We are approaching the Milky Way Galaxy, my lord," Lear said looking up from his instruments.

Sheppard had been dozing. It was a much shorter trip but still a long one. He stood and stretched his arms. "Okay. Put us in stealth mode. Wouldn't want Earth trying to shoot us down or anything."

"Where are we going by the way?" Lorne asked. "It is a big planet, after all."

Sheppard sat down. "Ireland."

"How do you know you will find what you are looking for?" Ronon asked coming up to the cockpit. He was chewing on a sandwich. Sheppard gave him a bemused look.

"Because I just do, okay? I hope they have stocks of food before we head back. I doubt we have anything left."

Ronon shrugged. "I didn't get breakfast. You didn't give much warning."

Sheppard shook his head then looked out the window. He watched the various planets fly by until they finally reached Earth. He never got tired of space and, in particular, his own galaxy. He actually didn't get to see it much so these rare occasions were a special treat. "Set the Scabuer into high orbit, General. I don't want to be bumping into the space station, space junk, or anything that would give them cause to wonder what the heck is up here."

"I thought we were going to Ireland?" Ronon said with muffled voice as he took another bite.

"We are," Sheppard said looking out the window, "but it's still day. It's not populated where we are going but even with the cloak I don't want to fly around in broad daylight."

Lear placed the ship in orbit and watched the small planet, mesmerized. So this was Terra. Where Evander had gone with his young son and built the line from which the present king had come. To Lear, Terra had only been a childhood legend and an unreachable mystical place where hope rested for their own galaxy. He exchanged a glance with Sheppard. He had sensed the king looking at him.

"Yes, it's real," Sheppard said quietly and with a smile. He had to remember sometimes that the Armentarian people had built their lives around what Earth could bring them. "And soon we will figure out who has called us here."

0000000000000

They had landed near the entrance of the cave. Lorne was not sure how Sheppard knew that it was this particular one-must have been one of those imperial powers he had. They entered slowly under cover of darkness and night vision goggles and walked for what seemed like nearly an hour. Ronon bumped into Lorne when the major stopped suddenly. He resisted the urge to knock the major in the head but he sensed something—then, there it was.

Sheppard pulled off the night vision goggles when he caught sight of the stone. He really didn't need them as his mind could guide him, but he didn't want to be completely different from his own men. He sensed that they were surrounded and in the center was one stone. He sighed. Always the stone when something big was going to happen…always the pain and misery.

"I have come," he said simply.

There was a pause for some time and Sheppard felt as if eyes he could not see were evaluating him.

"Are you Evander's Heir?" a deep voice in Ancient asked.

"I am," he replied in similar.

A tall man stepped forward. Yes, he resembled Qui-Gon-tall, blue eyes, hair pulled back in a pony-tail. He seemed familiar, maybe because he had seen this man in his dreams on occasion since becoming king. The tall man looked him over with a measuring eye and Sheppard could feel him trying to touch his thoughts.

Sheppard sighed. "You are of the Order of the Pegasi."

"Aye."

Sheppard smiled at that. He never figured he would be in some secret cave in Ireland meeting a real Ancient-and he had no doubt the person in front of him _was_ an Ancient. Yet "aye" was not the response he was expecting.

"I suppose I have to pick up the stone and have my brains fried before we can move forward."

Tristan smiled almost sadly. "Yes. I am sorry, but it is the only way we can know. It is the last gift Evander left for his heir."

Sheppard almost snorted at the word gift. That was all in the eye of the beholder. "The wrapping is never fun," he finally said.

Tristan laughed this time and Sheppard could hear snickers in the shadows. "That is true," Tristan said stepping closer to Sheppard, "But before one can be powerful, one must be weak. The ability to heal and control the physics of the world requires changes." Tristan closed his eyes a moment. "You have already been to the brink of death, between ascension and this world. This will help you now. Only the ascended and some of us of the Order will have the abilities that you have or will have. Yet you have even more as you have been given the knowledge of the Wraith."

Sheppard shifted his weight slightly. "The power to heal."

"Yes."

"Why would the ascended Ancients allow me that-or you for that matter?"

Tristan shrugged. "Evander left them no choice."

Sheppard resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His mind wandered as he thought what a great reality show his life would be. Wraith would probably be too scary though…too much reality for people. His life had become some unbelievable epic adventure. He frowned a moment. Merlin was an ancient too, wasn't he? He would have to ask General O'Neill.

Tristan sensed Sheppard's thoughts. "Well, King Arthur," the tall Ancient quipped, "Shall you remove the stone?"

Sheppard grimaced slightly and looked at the stone with a worried expression. "The last one, you say."

Tristan nodded sympathetically. He had sensed the suffering of Sheppard and he also knew the suffering Evander had undergone to provide his heir with every possible advantage. "The last." But Tristan knew this was just the beginning.

Sheppard took a deep breath and approached the stone. He eyed it curiously a moment then picked it up. He felt it grow warmer in his hands.

For a moment, he was not sure anything was actually happening and almost allowed himself to grin, but the relief was short lived. He felt the warmth spread across his hands, then up his arms to his shoulders and then to his head. It encompassed every part of him and felt just like a warm blanket for a few seconds. Then, of course, the pain…there was always that. It seared through every fiber in his body as if he was being taken apart and then put back together. At least there were no Wraith and no Erebus. No violent images. He fell to the ground with a cry as pain shot all at once from head to toe. _It is the last one. Last time. I can take this_.

Ronon, Lorne, and Lear watched along with the Pegasi. Tristan was kneeling next to Sheppard saying a few words in Ancient. He looked toward the three helpless men. "He will be fine," Tristan said quietly then turned sympathetically back to Sheppard. "It will pass soon, young heir of Evander. It shall pass." Sheppard was unaware of Tristan and grunted as his muscles tensed and spasmed.

Sheppard closed his eyes as the pain in his head spiked. He hissed in furious misery. He could hear the voice of Evander but he could not focus on what his ancestor was saying. It was calming and peaceful and he tried to direct his mind away form the pain and toward the voice. He felt his muscles start to relax and he was better able to hear Evander. The Ancient king must have known that his heir would not have been able to focus because Sheppard was aware that the loop had started itself again. "You will have the ability to heal and to move objects but be aware that these all require energy…your energy. It will require restraint, but no doubt you have learned this already because of the abilities you have already acquired. The process of unlocking what has been embedded in your genetic code is now complete. Tristan and the order of the Pegasi along with the son of Capys will be by your side…" Sheppard ignored the rest. He knew he could access it later. It would be in his mind—sometimes he found that he would just know something without knowing why. The warmth began to subside as well and he lay there for a moment. He could feel the trickle from his nose. A cloth was placed in his hand, and he used it to wipe the blood from his nose. Tristan was kneeling next to him and looking down with bright blue eyes that were warm and sympathetic. Sheppard heard the leather in the Ancient's uniform creak as Tristan stood and joined the rest of the Pegasi standing at attention nearby. Feeling shaky, Sheppard tried his best to look unruffled as he stood. He looked at the 20 men lined up behind Tristan. He touched each of their minds then spoke crisply in Ancient. "I am the heir of Evander. I ask your allegiance as you gave my ancestor."

Lorne watched at the surreal scene. The Pegasi all kneeled and placed their heads to the ground in a deep bow. "We pledge our lives and allegiance, our lord. May we succeed in defeating the enemies of your worlds," Tristan answered in Ancient for them, head still to the ground.

Lorne watched Sheppard gaze on them a moment. Finally, the king spoke in clear Sheppard English-"That's great…Thanks." With that, Sheppard crumpled to the ground and would have fallen hard if Ronon had not been close enough to catch him. One of the Pegasi was there in an instant helping with Sheppard's legs. Tristan smiled at Ronon knowingly but said nothing, then guided them down the hall into a chamber. "Let him rest here. We will tend to him."

"We can do it," Ronon said almost angrily. He still wasn't sure who these people were and whether or not they could be trusted. Tristan bowed slightly. "Of course you can; we only offer our assistance. Please remain if you wish. Milinus will tend to him and I will return shortly. I must begin preparations for our departure." He looked back toward Lear and Lorne. "He will be fine here. If you wish you can accompany me to see what we have been working on for all this time. I think His Majesty will be pleased."

Lorne looked at Ronon and they exchanged glances. Ronon nodded slightly as he sat next to Sheppard on the bed. Sheppard mumbled something and seemed restless. Ronon put a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder. "I hope this is it, Sheppard." He wanted to say more, but he was not sure what he wanted to say exactly. Ronon thought of Teyla. Since he was unable to contact her before he left, Sheppard had left word with Samsus as to where he was going. Is this what their life would be like? His friends deserved more…to be happy, to not have to worry about each other as they fought the Wraith. But no one could have this peace until the Wraith were defeated.

Sheppard's eyes opened and were glassy. Though he stared at Ronon they were unrecognizing. "Capys fili,…Capys fili…" Milinus spoke comfortingly to Sheppard but did not seem concerned. Ronon had to admit he was not concerned either compared to what Sheppard had been through before. "It's okay buddy. Just hang in there." The Satedan turned to Millinus and looked him over. The man was obviously a warrior. Well built, with a fierce but compassionate look in his eyes. He sat quietly opposite of Ronon. His leather armor creaked with the slightest movement. It reminded Ronon of some of the movies he had seen about Earth warriors. He looked at the man curiously, wondering if he was related to anyone back on the Armentarian worlds. These Ancients were all tall, at least six feet or more. Tristan was actually slightly taller then Ronon. Ronon was not one to strike up a conversation but he was curious.

"You have lived here all this time waiting for him?" Ronon asked despite knowing the answer.

"Yes. We have followed the line of Evander for all these centuries. It was easy when the world was small to keep track and wait. Our goal was to ensure he would come to fruition. There are some who do not agree with what Evander has done."

Ronon considered the implications of that but said nothing. Sheppard groaned again and looked to be in pain. "What is happening to him?"

"This is the final sequencing to unlock the secrets within the king's DNA and to provide full use of his mental capacity. The sequencing had to be done in increments. He will in essence be more like us than like you." Milinus spoke matter of factly and there was no malice-but Ronon was troubled.

"What do you mean? He is human."

Milinus took out an instrument and scanned Sheppard. "Aye. He is human but he is also part of us. The genetic code passed down from Evander remained strong within his line, never diluted or weakened, only dormant to an extent. It did not become activated until he took hold of the Eye of the Armentarii."

"Yeah, that was rough."

Milinus looked sad. "Yes. Evander feared this, but we had so little time."

Ronon said nothing for a while. "He has been through a lot-the second stone, the dagger. I hope this really is the last thing like this."

Milinus looked at Ronon curiously. "What dagger?"

Ronon said nothing. He had already said too much…not like him at all.

"Please…what dagger?"

Ronon continued to hesitate as his mind flashed back to holding Sheppard. Saying good-bye. "I said too much already…"

"Please Ronon…what dagger? Evander did not speak of such. If you would allow me I could read your thoughts."

Ronon sighed. "Maybe Sheppard should tell you."

"Ronon, we are the protectors of His Majesty. His Pegasi. We knew there would be three stones but no knife. It is important for us to know if other information has been transferred to him."

Ronon was not sure. Who were these people and could he trust them? Sheppard seemed to have no reservation, and they did not seem to pose any harm, but it was hard to trust. He sighed. He knew Sheppard trusted these people. "Okay."

Milinus closed his eyes, then reached out and touched Ronon's mind. It did not take very long before Milinus opened his eyes. He looked at Ronon incredulously. "His Majesty can take life…with his thoughts?"

"Yeah. He doesn't talk about it. He only did it when he was in danger."

"Yes. He has been through much, as you have said. We did not know Erebus had done this. He was a rival of Evander and of all our people. Greedy and corrupted. Evander had stopped Erebus on many occasions; that his heir defeated Erebus is amazing."

Ronon was quiet. He did not want to remember that time. Milinus watched the Satedan. "…Though not without cost to many, including yourself. He has to suppress and conquer a deep darkness."

"He has. Now, is what happened with the dagger going to hurt him along with this new ability?"

Milinus ran an instrument over Sheppard. "No…I do not think so. It is troubling that he could so easily take life, and now also give it."

"This is the Wraith. They do this."

Milinus nodded. "Yes. Evander wanted him to have every advantage. We knew he would need it. The Wraith hibernate for so long, gaining no significant advances and this has given us time to improve our weapons and our strategy." Milinus was going to continue when Sheppard stirred. He did not dare touch the mind of the king without permission, but the idea that he could take their lives with a mere thought terrified him. They were trusting him blindly. What if his mind had been negatively touched by Erebus?

Ronon could not read minds but he knew what Milinus was thinking. He had felt that way before. "Sheppard would never hurt any of us…or lose control. He would die before that…almost did." Ronon knew he had almost killed Sheppard while his friend had the power all along to harm him.

Milinus smiled. "Forgive me, Ronon. It is unexpected. It is not an ability which we have. We are used to being, quite frankly, in control of the world around us. But none of us had the ability to defeat the Wraith, because we could not think like them. Evander was wise in what he did, but I only hope the price will not be too high for His Majesty."

"He doesn't like to use his abilities…the kind that overpower others…he's gotten used to it, but he doesn't like it."

"No, I suppose he doesn't, and that is admittedly a relief. He is very much like Evander. However, to defeat his enemies, he may have to do what he does not wish to do. There is no one like him. Erebus has given him more abilities than even Evander had imagined."

Ronon was going to say something when Sheppard moaned and his muscles looked tense. Milinus checked him and placed a steady hand on Sheppard's shoulder, then spoke to the king in Ancient. He wiped the small trickle of blood from Sheppard's nose. After a few moments, Sheppard seemed to relax.

Milinus smiled. "The process is nearly complete."

"He doesn't seem to have as many problems as before. No major convulsions or blood everywhere."

"It had to be done in increments. With the exception of the dagger, all was planned. Of course, Erebus had corrupted the stone on Kildar, then the dagger, but the first stone was the most difficult as it was the first to unlock his genetic memory and ability. He will feel ill and weak, but the stress on his mind is much less this time."

"Well, that is good-I mean, at least the 'less stress' thing. But he doesn't like to feel sick."

Milinus laughed. "Who does? It should not last long, however-perhaps 24 hours. And the surprise Master Tristan has for him should make him feel considerably better.

0000000

Lorne looked into the deep cavern at the small fleet of the most beautiful looking ships he had ever seen. There were 30 of them.

"Wow, colonel Sheppard is going to freak." He was still in the habit of calling him colonel Sheppard. Lorne was still active duty and on assignment to Sheppard. The Air Force did not want to lose ties with Sheppard, and the IOA was scrambling with what to do after LaPierre's stunt so, for now, all was quiet and they were giving Sheppard a wide birth and the SGC some free reign.

Tristan laughed at Lorne's comments. "Well, we do hope he will be pleased. We have managed to utilize both our own and Wraith technology as well as some technology Thor had passed on to us."

"Thor?" Lorne had read the briefings of SG-1, yet he did not expect to hear Thor's name.

"Yes. He visited us quite often. We attempted to help his people, but it was not possible. We miss him very much. He helped your people even when we were forbidden by the laws of our ascended to do so. He helped you through your SG-1 in particular." Tristan walked over toward one end of the vast cavern. Lorne wanted to ask how they had kept this hidden all of these years, but it didn't matter. They were here and they had been busy.

"Thor asked us to reserve this one for the son of Capys."

It took a moment for Lorne to register that last comment. Then he turned in realization to Tristan. "You mean General O'Neill?"

Tristan smiled. "Yes. Thor seemed to have a special kinship with him." The Ancient could sense Lorne's questions.

"We also followed the line of Capys. He and Evander were kin and closely fought together. Just as the two were linked so should their heirs be. It had been planned from the beginning though we could never be sure how it would turn out."

"Does General O'Neill know all of this?"

Tristan shrugged. "He must, to some extent. He is with the King even now, but he does not know his own history."

"Are all these ships gene activated?" He asked Tristan.

The Ancient looked confused a moment then realized what Lorne had asked. "Yes, if you mean that they can be used only by those with the blood of the Ancients, as you call them. It is like most of our technology-a protection against use by our enemies."

Lorne was quiet a moment as he watched Tristan checking the systems of one of the ships. "Do they have a hyper-drive?"

Tristan smiled. "Yes. They did not originally, but we have had 10,000 years to work on them. It took us quite some time but we were able to add cloaking as well. It should make it quite easy to leave this system though we have had some…fun trying the systems."

Lorne smiled. "UFOs. Nice."

Tristan shrugged. "Things can become tedious after 10,000 years." He made some changes on the computer and continued speaking. "And it really wasn't until the last few hundred years that the technology of your world helped us move things along. We were afraid we would not be ready." Lorne watched for a while longer. He wanted to ask why they had gone through all this trouble and how could they have been this diligent for this long…remain loyal to someone who did not exist until recently.

Tristan smiled as he sensed Lorne's questions but did not intrude on his thoughts. Humans would ask when they were willing and most had not learned how to manage to keep their thoughts to themselves-at least telepathically. "Well," Tristan said finally, "I think we are, as you all say, 'ready to hit the road'."

Lorne laughed. "You must have all sorts of collections of sayings throughout the ages."

Tristan patted Lorne on the shoulder. "Indeed, my boy, indeed. They are all basically the same with accommodations for the language of the time."

Lorne heard footsteps behind him and turned. The Pegasi bowed to each of them. "Tristan. His Majesty is awake."

"Thank you, Titus. Please continue to show Lear all of our capabilities. Come, Major Lorne. Let us see how the King fares."

Lorne shook his head. One big, scary fairytale. "You wouldn't have any brothers named Grimm here, would you?"

"No, my dear boy. No." Tristan said with a laugh.

00000000

Sheppard was sitting up in bed and did not look very good. Tristan nevertheless was upbeat. He bowed deeply. "You look well, my lord."

Sheppard grimaced as he looked at the tall Ancient. "You're a poor liar. I feel like crap. My body hurts, like I have the flu."

"Ramus has made a healing broth. You should feel better soon."

Sheppard shivered. He didn't even want to know why he was sick. It had to be something to do with that damn stone. _Gift my ass,_ he thought. At least he wasn't rattling his teeth with seizures or ruining more linens with gushing bloody noses; but he hated being sick. "I hope so. I get cranky when I'm sick."

Ronon snorted and Sheppard shot him a glare. He really did feel crummy and not really like eating. He closed his eyes. He wanted to be alone because he did not like feeling this way in front of people. He should have become accustomed to it by now, but he wasn't completely. He groaned as his body shivered.

"We should let the king rest," Tristan said quietly. Ronon hesitated but Sheppard nodded to him. "Ronon, you must be hungry," he said quietly. "Go and eat. I can be miserable on my own. Really." The Satedan stood and began walking out the door. He trusted Milinus enough.

"He eats a lot," a weak voiced called out after them.

Ronon sighed and looked back toward his friend. "You're going to need your strength soon _Your Majesty_." Sheppard smiled but said nothing more.

Milinus reached forward and wiped the slight trickle of red from Sheppard's nose.

"I'm relieved my nose isn't bleeding as much. Not like before, the first time." His voice was quiet.

"The first stone, The Eye of the Armentarii, was the first key to unlock your genetic code. It was the most difficult part of the transformation that your brain would have to endure. It also contained the vileness of the Wraith. The stone on Kildar, though corrupted by Erebus, was merely to provide further keys, so to speak, to help you utilize what was in that original code."

"Well what the hell was in it this time to make me feel so sick?"

"You have been inoculated against any virus that we encountered in the Pegasus galaxy; and the ability to heal others requires energy so your cellular structure is undergoing that change." Sheppard did not like sound of 'cellular structure change' but Carson would be fascinated.

"Oh great. No, it just couldn't be a crystal from the planet Krypton with everything I need to know. "

Milinus laughed. "I am sorry, Your Majesty. Evander did not have time to make it so simple."

Sheppard closed his eyes. "Well, he did a whole helluva lot for not having much time."

Milinus grabbed the bowl Ramus had left. "Have some of this. It will help you feel better sooner."

"How does it taste? My stomach is not too happy right now," Sheppard answered.

"Ramus is a good cook and it will help with that, too."

Sheppard sighed. He was willing to do anything to not feel as lousy as he was feeling.

Sheppard sipped the broth. It was good and he did start to feel better. "By the way. Does that surprise Tristan talked about…fly?"

Milinus smiled. "It does indeed."

Sheppard finished the broth and drifted off to sleep. He hoped to wake feeling well enough to see what new toy he had to work with.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please forgive me again in the delay of this. This particular story has been harder for me as said previously but I think as I struggle to write it, I finally know where I want to go. The first two were clearer to me and I was impatient to get it on paper so to speak. I am amazed and grateful for you wonderful feedback and encouragement as they really to inspire me to keep going. I promise I will not give up on this until completed. I cannot believe that you have truly enjoyed this saga or series and I only want to please you and perhaps that is what has made it a bit more difficult. I have read all of your feedback and I apologize for not responding directly, but thank you very very much. I have had to re-read my previous two of this series to stay on track and find direction. I know this chapter is not much action but next chapter things will ramp up. As always your feedback and comments are appreciated. **

Chapter Three -Return

Tristan watched the king as the younger human eyed the gift of his forefather Evander. There was a gleam in his hazel eyes that was very readable. A slight upward tilt of his mouth added to that gleam as the king nodded his head approvingly. He looked back toward Tristan with a boyish enthusiasm that the Ancient had seen before but not for many years. Those had been good times, though initially challenging, and they had all been overcome with grief as they left the Armentarian worlds and their people behind. But it had been the only way to protect them-and here stood the embodiment of all their labor. The Armentarian people had kept their promise to prepare for the king; and the Order of the Pegasi had protected the line of Evander until the right time came-until the right _one_ came.

"This is terrific. It almost makes all the stones worth it. Rodney is going to be really excited…well, at least Gen O'Neill will be. But what are these for…planetary defense? The Scabuer has many of the same capabilities."

"Yes my lord. The Scabuer is for quick insertion of a strike team. These are for planetary defense but can also accompany the Scabuer in support of a mission as you dictate."

Sheppard let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. His head still hurt slightly; but he was mostly just exhausted. He sincerely hoped there were no more stones and, to be honest, he just couldn't imagine what else could possibly fit in his brain. It scared him to think what he could do with it. He had come to terms with his abilities but it still scared him nonetheless. He smiled self-consciously when he realized Tristan was watching him with curiosity. He coughed slightly. "Hey, are you sure George Lucas isn't an Ancient?"

Tristan laughed. "I am quite certain, my lord. The human imagination never ceases to amaze us."

"No kidding." Sheppard said moving away and toward the main chamber. "So what is the plan?"

"Plan, your majesty?" Tristan asked ducking his head as they walked through one doorway.

"Well, you called me over here, so to speak, so I am hoping that you would like to go back home and be part of the team to kick some Wraith butt?"

Tristan raised an eyebrow as he smiled. He bowed his head. "We are at your service, Your Majesty, but of course we would like to return-at least, most of us. Some of us should remain to maintain this base—those who are well integrated into society. With these ships we will have the opportunity to travel back and forth as is necessary, but some of your missions may require you to return here and the remaining Pegasi can assist you and protect you."

They entered the main hall through a beautifully carved wooden door. Sheppard noticed several coats of arms and also an intertwining of the same four symbols branded on his back. He sat in a chair at a table that looked very old. Its wood was dark with various knots and in the middle was an etched carving of the mythical horse Pegasus.

"Um," Sheppard said realizing something. "Aren't I breaking all kinds of treaties? I mean, I don't really have an official role here and everyone will kind of freak when they realize there is a strike force here on Earth."

"Yes," Tristan said thoughtfully. "Politics and mistrust. They will mistrust you. They will be quite upset if they find out."

Sheppard grinned mischievously. _So let's not let them find out…just yet._

_I agree. _

Sheppard did a double take when someone walked past him and bowed. "You know he looks a lot like…what's his name. The guy in black in that movie with the hawk. What is his name? Rodney made me watch that after the battle with Vanitis. I can't believe he watched that movie."

"Etienne." Tristan answered with a smile. "Merely a coincidence."

Sheppard kept looking at the man. "I don't know. He really looks like him but that guy must be…well anyway Rodney is going to bug him for sure."

Tristan smiled and wondered who this Rodney was. "It seems that this Rodney that you speak of watches quite a bit of television."

Sheppard shrugged. "We all kind of do I guess. But you know it really is weird that two of you at least look suspiciously like some characters. He sat back in his chair with his arms behind his head. "So tell me Tristan. Why are you still here as an Ancient-un-aged or at least virtually un-aged. Your names, most of them anyway, sound very familiar…even…."

"Mythological?" Tristan finished.

"Yeah. Mythological. Your name, for instance, and where we are…Ireland…is not lost on me you know."

Tristan sat down. "As you know, much of mythology is based on fact but is often twisted through the ages as the oral tradition passes it down and various writers put their particular flavor to it."

"Like the goaul'd or the Asgaard?"

A flash of anger crossed Tristan's eyes though it was not directed at Sheppard. "No. The goaul'd were parasites who manipulated tradition to instill fear and to dominate. And the Asgaard were distant, though benevolent. They did not interact side by side."

"How, then, were you able to intervene with Earth? I thought that was against Ancient rules?"

"It became part of the rules later, after Evander and the rest of us came to Earth. We initially interacted as part of Earth's history. We built cities and defended them. We stayed as long as we could to protect Evander's and, frankly, our own lines. There were many more of us. Some had come with Evander and some had come as separate groups; but we all kept in contact with the other. The Order's sole purpose was to protect Evander and his line here on Earth, but others had different agendas-to further science or art or to just complete their natural lives free from the Wraith and try to forget what difficulties we had created in Pegasus. We helped the Earth humans, as much as we could, to fight against the goaul'd; but we tried not to interfere in the troubles humans created for themselves."

"How come you still look young, especially for someone over 10,000 years old?"

Tristan smiled slightly. "We had all ascended, so to speak. We could come and go as we pleased to this Earth. Many of us enjoyed working closely with the humans of your world-so like our own. After several thousand years a split occurred. Some wanted to join the others in the non-corporeal world. They forgot about Pegasus and did not come to Earth did not like what we had done here. Perhaps they were jealous, felt guilty, or were bored. I know not. They mostly wanted Evander because he was truly the most powerful and they feared what he could do on Earth. He had done so much on Pegasus and on Earth already. They grew more distant and more arrogant." Tristan looked disgusted as he spoke. His eyes became distant and his voice was bitter. "There would have been a war."

"Between the Ancients?"

"Yes."

"The more I learn about you, the less I really like."

Tristan sighed. "Yes. Well, I suppose I could understand that. But we had our petty and not so petty differences. Some, like Evander and those that followed him, truly cared for the people of Pegasus and the Milky Way. Some just did not care and lived in their own world of self-discovery. Some were 'bad seeds' as you would say-power hungry or became so later."

"Erebus."

"Yes, he was one. So to prevent conflict and to protect you and those who came before you, to protect not just you but his promise to Pegasus, Evander agreed to leave but we were allowed to remain on Earth as a compromise…"

"Immortality on Earth is some compromise."

"Yes indeed. It has not been without its sorrow, and there have been a handful of others allowed to do the same. Those who have opposed Evander's promise to Pegasus."

"Why?"

"A good many of my people believed that humans must learn to deal with their own issues…but before you say anything, a great number followed Evander and believed it was our responsibility to rid Pegasus of the Wraith. Evander was a great and charismatic leader-the most powerful of all Ancients as it was he who showed them the path of ascension. By making Evander promise to remain ascended apart from Earth…well, they could control him more. Of course he had his own purpose and that was that he could control _them_ more."

Sheppard frowned. "You people truly have destroyed my image of you. I mean, maybe you and Evander and the rest of the order here kind of fit the image, but it all sounds like some Ancient soap opera with bad guys and everything. Not to mention you all gallivanting around Earth making history and mythology."

Tristan laughed. "All you need to know is that Evander was a great king, and he gave you many gifts...including us, I dare say." Tristan saw the worried look on Sheppard's face. "What is it, your highness?"

Sheppard hesitated. It was nothing new. It just overwhelmed him still that he was part of this drama and so much rested on his shoulders. He tried not to think of it but, "I am not really sure how to defeat the Wraith…I have all of this stuff in my head and I have no idea what to do with it." There. He had said it.

Tristan looked sympathetic as he leaned in and put a hand on Sheppard's shoulder. "We are here to help, your highness."

"Can't you call me John?"

Tristan bowed his head slightly. "As you wish…John. We must not worry on how to defeat all of the Wraith, only the one who is above all."

"What do you mean above all? I thought that the Wraith were independent of each other, run by Queens with fragile alliances."

"Aye, but search the memories that Evander has given you. There is one Queen who is mother to all others. Destroy her and it will be easy to destroy the others. They draw their strength from her."

"Is…is there a…king Wraith?"

Tristan looked distant for a moment and he smiled at a memory. "No. That was a last great battle Evander fought. It was a trap set by Erebus through his operatives including Evander's half brother." Tristan looked pointedly at Sheppard with compassion. "You have suffered, John, through the actions of Erebus. There is more suffering for all of us on the road before us; but there is also victory. You can defeat this Queen. The hardest part is finding her. She is well hidden like our worlds back in Pegasus, but only you can defeat her…only you. It may take time. "

Sheppard sighed. If asked, he would admit he was scared-the healthy fear that motivated you to get it right; but he also knew he had a lot of help; and something about Tristan reassured him. "We should get back to Pegasus. You must be ready to go back."

Tristan rose. "Yes, and it will be sad to leave your home world. It also has become our own after all this time."

"But you said we will be back."

"That we will."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

O'Neill looked at Scabuer and the small fleet of ships surrounding it. They were in the large hangar near the palace flight line. Lear and Terendale stood smartly in front of a number of troops neatly lined up in boxed columns. O'Neill started humming. He could feel a pair of eyes on him and he turned to Caldwell who raised an eyebrow. "Darth Vader's theme?" O'Neill shrugged slightly. "I don't know, doesn't it kind of remind you of it a little? Besides, I couldn't think of a the Jedi one…coincidentally, take a look at that guy." Caldwell turned and his mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, he looks like…"

"Qui Gon Jinn."

There was fanfare. Sheppard had called ahead and, apparently, there was a welcome ceremony for any returning Pegasi. There seemed to be a ceremony for everything and O'Neill wondered how Sheppard tolerated it; but the king rarely complained anymore. The general watched the 20 or so men walk behind Sheppard. They looked intimidating in their black leather and armor. They were tall and they were the legends of Earth. He looked back at Caldwell. "These men built Rome."

Caldwell nodded. "And most other kingdoms. All this time we wondered where the Ancients were and they were on Earth all along." O'Neill watched the small ceremony and, in particular Sheppard, as the king spoke in Ancient. Sheppard spoke that more and more now and it had become effortless.

"And they were there just for him," O'Neill said to himself, but Caldwell nodded. "Come on, time to meet the bad asses of our mythology."

McKay looked on in awe. He racked his brain at how it was possible that the resemblance could be so strong. One looked like Qui Gon and the other looked like Navarre. Of course the one was called Tristan and the other Etienne, but McKay could not believe all was just a coincidence. Yet for all his own curiosity, it was Daniel Jackson, standing beside him, who was nearly shaking with excitement. O'Neill had warned the anthropologist to keep his distance for a while; but that would be challenging for Jackson. To meet men of Earth's history was far too tempting. McKay was more eager to learn about the ships. There were just too many toys to keep up with and the scientific team of Atlantis was having a great deal of fun working with the scientists of Sheppard's kingdom. McKay looked at his friend and felt pride. Sheppard was striding down on the golden carpet looking every part the king-this time surrounded by some very intimidating bodyguards. McKay turned to Lorne. "Looks like the imperial guard just grew."

Lorne was not a jealous man and never looked a gift horse in the mouth.

"Yeah," he said quietly and with a smile, "Our ability to kick ass just multiplied exponentially."

McKay nodded absently. These Ancients had brought a calm even to his nerves. "Weird resemblance though, don't you think?"

Lorne shrugged not giving anything. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Great lords of our Ancient times. Those who walked with Evander…welcome home!" Saphides said enthusiastically after the official ceremony. The four guardians bowed deeply in front of Tristan and the other Pegasi. "We are honored to have you with us once more!"

Tristan smiled warmly and glanced at Sheppard before looking back at the guardians. "Thank you, Guardian Saphides. Thanks to each of you for protecting the legacy and preparing the way for Evander's heir, our king Armentarius. Together may we all restore peace to this galaxy."

Sheppard looked at Saphides. "I guess this is another excuse for a party?"

Saphides and the others laughed. "Yes, your majesty. But of course we need time to arrange this celebration, and I am sure our visitors wish to return to their lands."

Tristan sighed. "Yes we would like permission to spend some time reacquainting ourselves, and for some," Tristan said looking toward a group of younger Pegasi, "introducing to what we left."

"Take what time you need." Sheppard said as they walked toward the doorway. "We seem to have quite a few parties around here. You are also just in time for a wedding in a few days." Sheppard saw O'Neill and Caldwell standing off to the side. "Tristan, I want you to meet some special folks. Actually, there are quite a few of them but I won't overwhelm you right now." Sheppard strode up to O'Neill. "Tristan, this is General Jack O'Neill."

Tristan clasped O'Neill's hand. "Yes the descendant of Capys. We had lost track of you recently."

"Yeah, I'm kind of like that," O'Neill said with a half grin. "Just trying to keep Caldwell, here, out of trouble."

Tristan laughed as he turned his eyes to Caldwell and shook his hand. "Very nice to meet you."

Caldwell was going to say something when O'Neill patted the retired colonel on the back. "The good Viscount here is soon to be hitched, so forgive him if he looks a little shell-shocked. All this planning has taken a toll."

Tristan laughed along with Etienne who was standing nearby. "Well, Viscount. We are happy to have made it in time for this occasion. Who is the lucky bride-to-be?"

"The lady Shimon of Arcadia," Caldwell said with a glare at O'Neill. The truth was he _had_ been exhausted with all the protocol and procedures. He thought this marriage alone would rival that of the any of the Earth royals. He still did not believe in royalty and privilege, but these were good people and certainly were not entitled-at least not most of them. He had worked hard all his life and had come from very meager means so it would be a challenge for him-maybe like it had been for Sheppard-though their backgrounds and current purposes were so different.

"So you shall join the Guardian families," Tristan said with a smile. "Arcadia is the land of Etienne here and of Jean-Pierre as well as Gaius and August. I am looking forward to the green of my own lands on Quidari."

"The Keepers have maintained the lands of the Pegasi for as long as we have preserved Evander's throne," Saphides said quietly, "Though it is no consolation for being gone so long, we hope you will be pleased."

Tristan put a hand on Saphides shoulder. "Guardian, if our lands have been kept as well as you have preserved the king's lands and his throne, then we are quite fortunate. Your families have done a remarkable job for all this time. We should never have doubted."

Saphides bowed slightly. They had worked hard and at times feared they had lost faith, but now it all came together.

"Well, plenty of time later for meeting people and talking," Sheppard said stifling a yawn. He had hardly slept on the way back as he updated Tristan and the others on the current state of affairs, "You should get settled. See you in a couple of days. Lear and Rodney-someone else I want you to meet-will be looking over these new gifts in the meantime."

Tristan nodded slightly. "Then we take your leave, Your Majesty." As they left, O'Neill called out. "Don't eat too much for the next few days…these people know how to throw a party." Etienne looked back, bemused. "Seriously, they do!" O'Neill finished with a look at Sheppard.

Caldwell walked along with Sheppard and O'Neill. "It must be odd to return to a place after 10,000 years. I can only imagine what kind of adjustment that is going to be."

"I don't know. Maybe it will hit them later. We talked a lot on the way back and they have pretty realistic expectations."

"You said about half of them remained on Earth."

"Yeah. They were a lot younger, second generation to some of the Pegasi that had ascended with Evander. They had more ties to Earth and had either only been here when they were very young and then fled with their fathers of the Order; or were actually born on Earth."

"All of them are men?" Caldwell asked as they cleared the building into a courtyard

"Yes. Some were married and took their wives and children with them; and others were separated, like Evander." Sheppard sighed and for a moment the memory of those separations flooded him and he felt only anguish and sadness. He swayed a little and felt O'Neill's steady hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" the general asked keeping his hand on Sheppard. Caldwell stood on the other side for support but did not move.

"Yeah. Just fine. Sorry." What could he say? Could he say that he felt the memory of those separations heaped on him like a smothering weight of grief, homesickness, and the pain of separation from loved ones? For what? It was in the hope that he could use everything shoved in his brain and defeat an enemy the entire race of Ancients could not defeat. He had not felt the burden of that responsibility for some time, but to see how these men and others had left their home world was sad. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to return knowing that everyone they knew was gone. He felt almost ashamed that so much had been sacrificed for him. He shook the thought away. He knew it was a road that was useless to walk. What was, _was. _And besides, he hadn't asked to be in this position. "I guess it's just jet lag. I don't even know what day it is."

O'Neill exchanged a look with Caldwell. "Oh, okay. Well, it's Friday, Atlantis time, and somebody has a bachelor party in two days."

Sheppard smiled. "Haven't been to one of those in a really long time."

Caldwell laughed. "You? It's been even longer for me. I'm a little worried, though, because I let Jack plan it."

Sheppard stifled another yawn. He was tired but looking forward to the next few days. He new hard times were ahead but there was something comforting about having the people he trusted around him from both old and new worlds. "I would be worried too, sir, if I were you. Honestly, what were you thinking?"

Caldwell smiled warmly at Sheppard. It still surprised him when the pilot called him 'sir.' He genuinely cared for the young king. Sheppard had stayed the same and yet had changed-all at the same time. "I _wasn't _thinking."

O'Neill grinned mischievously and waved as he said good night.

"Good night, John," Caldwell said as he turned toward his chambers. They were staying at Sheppard's palace for the rest of the week because of the events. "You sure you're alright?"

Sheppard nodded. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sheppard turned toward his own chambers. It had been a long trip and he was tired, but he smiled when he saw the silhouette on the terrace. He knew who it was, and he immediately smiled. The moon was behind her so he could not see her face but he could sense her reaching out with her mind. He memorized that image of her as she stood there waiting for him to approach.

Teyla could feel him reaching out to her and embracing her with his mind. She waited for him and for a moment had to suppress a laugh when he stepped in a shadow and all she could make out were the spikes in his hair.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to get here," she said quietly as she embraced him.

"Well you know, traveling the galaxy, finding the lost Ancients stuck on Earth, preparing for parties…"

She laughed. "Yes, the life of a king is quite busy."

He sat with her on a bench and they looked at the moon's reflection off of a lake. "Have your people settled?" He had not talked to her for over a week. It was strange, though, as he always felt her presence. Even when he was on Earth he could sense her reaching out to him from time to time.

"Yes. They are quite settled and very happy. I feel so relieved that they will be safe and free from worry for a long time, but I fear the Wraith will come here."

"They might, but we will be ready," he said quietly. "The defenses here are significantly better with a lot more resources, and I plan to take the fight to them, one by one. I sense that there are a few key hives that need to be addressed first, then hopefully that will lure the High Queen out."

She looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean 'High Queen'?"

"Tristan told me of the Queen that is the mother of all Queens. If we can destroy her hive then the rest will follow."

She felt fear all of a sudden. Queens were dangerous. He had easily defeated one, but she knew it would take a toll and the mother of all…the thought made her shiver to her bones.

His hand slipped over hers. "Hey, don't worry. I am not doing this alone."

Teyla smiled for him-though her worry did not vanish. She stood. "I must go now, John. It has been a long week and I am sure you are tired."

"Yeah, I am. Dinner tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes. I shall look forward to it."

They exchanged a kiss and she embraced him before slowly walking away.

He watched her go and then sighed. He could feel her love for him and she no doubt felt his own, but they had little time together. He was not a prude, but he respected her; and as much as he wanted to be with her, they both had agreed to follow the traditions of this world. Abstinence from physical intimacy was expected and, as difficult as that was for both of them, it seemed to bring them closer together. He and Caldwell had talked about it a little.

Sheppard smiled to himself as he thought that never in a million years would he imagine that he would be having that kind of conversation with Caldwell. So much had changed in their relationships. O'Neill had truly become a mentor to him and Caldwell had joined the ranks of his guardian uncles and, frankly, would soon be part of the family. He entered his quarters and stretched out on his bed. He was thankful that he would have little to do at the wedding. He and Teyla had not set a date, nor had they talked of plans, but they knew it would not be for some time. He was glad she had her people here and that she had something other than the Wraith or war preparations to focus on. He closed his eyes to rest and made a note to visit Atlantis tomorrow. He grinned as he thought how odd that sounded, as if visiting another city across the far end of the galaxy was like visiting a store around the corner. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was what O'Neill had in store for Caldwell.

**Already started next chapter and will keep working on it to get it up as soon as possible. Also please note that I have two other non SGA stories that I have written for Emergency and Flashpoint over the summer. I may post them just to see if I got the voices right on those but again those are written. Warmest regards!**


	4. Chapter 4

Okay so here is chapter 4. Thanks very much again for your reviews and encouragement. They have been like water in the desert and I think I might be slowly coming out of my writer's block, but not sure. Seems I have created something challenging for me to keep up with. So thanks very much to my beta and thanks for any reviews or encouragement you continue to provide. I honestly cannot express how great it feels to have people like your story and care enough to give feedback even if it is critical. I still don't own any of the characters not mine, but sure wish I did! Here goes…

Chapter Four-Visions

Sheppard wanted his presence to not be disruptive but he and everyone else realized that was like wishing the Wraith away. It was that way everywhere he went since his arrival on Ilium, so he learned to make the appearance and get that done then everyone could just move on. With the return of the Pegasi and the upcoming wedding, the pomp and circumstance had risen to new heights and had almost become uncomfortable again. The military was at full strength and everyone from the scientists to the farmers were all working to prepare for battle. He had sent scouts out to gather information for his next move. Everyone was on a high right now and he allowed himself to enjoy it. There had been too many lows throughout his career and he knew there would be more.

"Your Royal Highness, they are waiting." Sheppard sighed slightly. Time to turn on king mode. He felt the weight of the robe on his shoulders and looked down and smiled. His boots were amazingly shiny…a testament to the fact that he no longer was in charge of any of his official clothing-and most of his daily clothing, for that matter. He saw one of muddy field boots haphazardly thrown under a chair. The valet had missed it. He almost laughed at the absurdity of the contrast between those boots and the wardrobe he had on.

He felt the crown's weight as it was placed on his head. Thankfully it was still the smaller one, but he knew he would have a headache tonight. He smiled as he turned and then, with a quick nod of thanks, he headed toward the open door of his chambers. A small contingent of the imperial guard was there waiting-Tristan, Lorne, Gaius, and Etienne as well as the Guardian Saphides. Apparently Tristan and Lorne had wasted no time in joining forces, their jobs essentially the same. They were a strike team but they all had agreed that protecting Sheppard was a primary duty and all else was additional. It was not how he saw it, but no one seemed to care. A contingent seemed to follow him most everywhere since the mess with Erebus-at least on official functions-and he decided he didn't like it, but no one seemed to care very much about that either and so here they were. They bowed deeply at his presence and then followed discreetly behind. They would walk to the ceremony then their horses would be brought to them to follow behind the carriage for a trip around the village before heading for the ball.

The halls were empty and all Sheppard could hear were their boots tapping on the polished ornate cream floors. Two men opened the door for him out into the courtyard and they headed toward the royal chapel. Sheppard had stayed at all of his residences, or castles as O'Neill called them, on each of his worlds, but he had a fondness for Arcadia. He felt more connected here and perhaps this was because Evander had made his main home here as well. There was a large crowd of well-wishers from the village and they cheered when they saw him. The general palace guard had cordoned them off to make a clear path for all the guests attending the service but they waved and Sheppard smiled and waved back. He knew a number of the faces as he would go to the town when he could. He was almost embarrassed that there had been some very American and other Earth recipes turning up in the cafes and bakeries-although some of that was not just because of him but also because of the exchange with the crew on Atlantis. He did a double take when he saw someone in the crowd he had not seen for some time. He went straight toward the man leaving his guard behind. Lorne rolled his eyes and stopped. Tristan sensed Lorne's annoyance and turned back. He grinned when he saw Sheppard talking to someone. He and the other Pegasi monitored the crowd but kept their distance. It was easy to sense the villager's thoughts and he felt no ill will. This planet felt so much different than Earth. Reading the thoughts of the people from Earth was like trying to sort through different symphonies playing at once. Here it was one symphony with individual players all playing for one conductor. Tristan had no doubt that the lack of a Wraith threat had allowed the Earth humans to bloom with independence. The worlds of the Armentarii, though, were interdependent but that could change and evolve with the influence now of the Earth humans and, in particular, Sheppard. He was curious as to what the other planets of Pegasus had become. He watched Sheppard's interaction curiously.

"Pirate," Sheppard said quietly, "I have not seen you for a long time."

Dragan bowed deeply as Sheppard approached and he remained partially so as he looked up at the king. "It has been too long, my lord. You are looking well."

Sheppard grinned. "Thank you. How are your men?"

Dragan held his head up high. "We have been training my lord and our numbers have increased. We have had no trouble recruiting." Dragan kept taking quick glances over toward Tristan and the others. Sheppard raised an eyebrow and turned his head.

"Impressive, aren't they," Sheppard quipped.

Dragan smiled in embarrassment. "We have heard that they had returned, my lord."

_Tristan would you please come here?_

Tristan bowed slightly and strode toward Sheppard. He bowed again. "Yes, my lord?"

Sheppard turned to Dragan. "Tristan, this is Dragan, my Chief Pirate." Tristan chuckled softly a moment then frowned slightly as Sheppard shared his memories quickly. Tristan's countenance relaxed and he eyed Dragan curiously.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Dragan," Tristan finally said. It was an odd picture with the impressively large Pegasi looking down and shaking the hand of the short and stout Pirate.

"Yes sir," Dragan said nervously.

"Tristan, would you please have Seamus meet with Dragan's men? I do not know if we will need a navy, but there are no better sailors and I want them considered for contingencies."

"Of course, your Royal Highness."

Sheppard smiled at Dagan. "You'll like Seamus. He would enjoy sailing again."

"Aye he would," Tristan said from behind Sheppard. _We must go my lord_.

Sheppard rubbed his temple. Yes, today would be a headache day. "Have to go to a wedding. It was good seeing you, Pirate. I suspect I will see you again soon."

Dragan bowed again deeply. "Yes, my lord." Dragan watched the king leave. It had been too long. He had heard of the king's troubles when there had been an attempt on his life, but he had not met with the king for some time. He was different-but also the same. He waited until he could no longer see Sheppard then turned to leave and give his men the news.

00000000000000000

A horn announced the king's arrival. Teyla turned and watched as Sheppard strode in. She knew he thought this unnecessary. It was not his wedding and he thought the pomp surrounding him was dispensable, but he no longer protested as he had when he had first become king. His expression was relaxed and his eyes intense. The light caught the small jewels of his crown. He walked confidently and formally. She wondered if the carefree slouch he once carried was something he had trained himself in because this Sheppard and his manner seemed so natural. She had waited to see if he would change-if power would overtake him as it had taken so many before. Yet he seemed easy with it; and other than what happened after Erebus, he was still the same self-effacing, humble man at heart. He must have sensed her because he looked up at her. His face, though aged slightly since she had first met him, still held its boyishness and when he looked at her with a smile in his eyes her heart leaped. She sat with her Atlantis and Armentarian friends who had been invited. Caldwell did not seem to have any other family and like Sheppard and even O'Neill, he had formed his own family amongst the people he fought alongside. Sheppard sat with the Guardians and other members of the guardian families. She was watching him when a movement to her right caught the corner of her eye.

"He is looking quite regal today, isn't he?"

Teyla turned to Elizabeth Weir. "He is, Elizabeth. He will be happy to see you. I thought you might not make it in time."

Weir smiled. "Are you kidding? There was no way I was going to miss Steven getting married. I thought my trip home could wait a couple of days."

Teyla was about to say something when music announced the arrival of the wedding party. The chapel had been decorated in light blue, cream, and silver decorations and the smell of flowers filled her senses. First Caldwell walked in. He wore a tailored black suit much like the one Sheppard wore, though less ornate. Silver lined the collar and cuffs and a light blue and cream sash fell from his right shoulder to the left. There were a few medals and a unique medallion on his left chest. She leaned in toward Weir. "Viscount Caldwell looks very handsome."

"He does," Weir beamed. She was very happy that Caldwell had settled and had found some happiness and peace. It seemed that everyone had a place here except maybe her. In some ways she was caught between the IOA and Sheppard, but Woolsey had kept the peace for now. She decided to reserve her worry for another day and just enjoy herself.

O'Neill followed behind Caldwell. Teyla smiled when he walked by and winked slightly. He wore an outfit similar to Caldwell's but with a white sash. Teyla lost herself in the ceremony. It was long and formal and very unlike the ones of her people. She wondered if this was what it would be like when she married John. She suspected it would be even longer and more formal than this ceremony. She sighed. Her feelings for John were strong and she loved him more than she could imagine, but she doubted her ability to be his queen. It was not that she thought ill of this lifestyle or of these people because they were wonderful, but she was not used to the ornateness and grandness. She wondered what her role would be. She was a warrior and the leader of her people but was that not Sheppard's role now that the Athosians were under the protection of his planets? She pulled herself from her thoughts in time to hear Caldwell and the Lady Shimon pronounced husband and wife. She wondered how long she had been lost in thought. The ceremony was not yet over as there was music and more words and readings. She looked up and felt her cheeks get hot when she saw John staring at her. He smiled briefly then turned his attention back to the ceremony. After several more minutes, it came to a conclusion, and the wedding party started to file out.

"That was beautiful."

Teyla turned to Weir. "Yes it was. Very beautiful." _Long, but beautiful._

Weir looked at Teyla as the Athosian watched the family leave. "How are the plans for your wedding coming along?"

Teyla smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. Weir leaned in as they spoke.

"We really have not discussed it much," Teyla whispered discretely. "We have had little time together and have not yet set a date."

"Well there is plenty of time," Weir said quietly as they left the church. She watched as Caldwell and his bride entered a coach and waved to the cheering crowd. She saw Sheppard also waving to the crowd before mounting his horse. Zorthos pranced as the cheers grew louder. Sheppard smiled as he patted the horse's neck and pulled the reigns to gain more control. He looked up and Weir smiled as he glanced at her and his gazed shifted to Teyla where it settled. "Plenty of time," Weir reiterated. "But now…it's been a while since I have been to a party here."

Teyla laughed. "Then let us go celebrate."

Tristan emptied his cup and sat it on the table. "O'Neill, do you not dance?"

"Oh I can cut the rug as well as anyone else. I actually did a dance or two with Elizabeth, but I prefer sampling the cuisine."

Tristan raised his eyebrows and looked across the room. "Then you and Dr. McKay seem to have this in common."

O'Neill sputtered what he was drinking. He set the glass down. "I wouldn't go that far."

Tristan scanned the room looking for Sheppard. He saw the king dancing with someone he had not met. "It seems that the king has no difficulty finding dance partners."

"No. No he doesn't," O'Neill said. He saw Teyla standing next to Weir and she was smiling as she watched Sheppard. "But there is only one partner that matters."

Tristan followed O'Neill eyes and smiled. "Yes. So it seems." The Ancient could sense her emotions and her love for Sheppard though he would not intrude on her thoughts. "I have heard that they are engaged."

"They are. No date or anything yet. Things have been busy."

Tristan leaned back and watched as Sheppard walked over to Teyla and took her hand just as the musicians began a new piece of music. "It was very challenging for Evander and Ilian. There were many blissful days but then the battles began and they saw each other less and less; but they never wavered in their love for each other or their belief that they would see each other again."

O'Neill sighed but said nothing. His thoughts lingered on someone special to him, and he wondered if he would ever be able to find happiness the way Caldwell had. He watched Teyla and Sheppard for a while until he mentally sensed something dark and foreboding. He looked more closely at Sheppard and turned to Tristan, but the Pegasi was already moving toward Sheppard. Being the military man that he was, O'Neill could see, out of the corner of his eye, the other Pegasi as well as the Guardian Sarik moving toward the king as well. O'Neill could "hear" Tristan mentally giving orders. While he and Tristan continued to move toward Sheppard, the others had begun to clear a path.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you not tired of dancing, John?" Teyla asked quietly.

"Not yet. I would love to go sit somewhere in a corner with you and just talk but…"

"No one will leave us alone," she finished for him.

"Right." He ignored the others watching them and held her a little closer. "What did you think of the ceremony?"

"It was beautiful. I am so happy for both of them."

Sheppard grinned. "Yeah, it was pretty great. I bet he is glad it is over."

She looked at him with smiling eyes. "I suppose we will not be able to have a quiet ceremony."

"The Guardians won't hear of it."

"You do understand that we will also have a traditional Athosian ceremony?"

He looked panicked for a second. "How long does it last?" he asked quickly.

She smiled broader. "It is quite simple but beautiful-and short."

He sighed with relief. "Thank goodness, because I have a feeling that as long as Caldwell's ceremony was today…"

"Ours would be longer." The music had ended and she stepped away from him for a second. She was going to ask him something as he reached for her, but he froze when he grabbed her hand. "John, what is it?"

Sheppard saw flashes of her with a Wraith hand about to come down on her. His breath quickened and his heart raced as he saw her crying out.

"John," Teyla asked again, concerned. She was moving forward when all of a sudden O'Neill and Tristan were by Sheppard's side. "Follow", Tristan said simply. A few guests had turned and were watching, though many seemed unaware. She smiled as she followed behind them though she was worried. The look in Sheppard's eyes was one of panic, yet distant-much as it was when he touched the stones. She followed behind Tristan and O'Neill, who had either of Sheppard's arms, as they walked quickly along the discrete path the other Pegasi had made. Three of the Guardians were standing by the door. She could sense their concern. Though no one was speaking to her directly, she could tell that they were speaking to each other by the almost perfect synchronization of their actions. They escorted Sheppard into another room and it was Lorne who closed the door after them. Sheppard was saying nothing but clutched his head; and his legs seemed to weaken as he stumbled slightly. Tristan grabbed Sheppard by the shoulders and Teyla stood by next to O'Neill.

Sheppard slowly fell to his knees. With one hand he clutched Tristan's left arm and with the other he supported his weight, palm to the floor.

"My lord!" Tristan said trying to look into Sheppard's eyes. "What is happening? What do you see?"

Teyla could hear Sheppard gasping and muttering something but she did not understand what he was actually saying.

She felt something brush by her and saw Sarik, Sauriko and Saphides move toward Sheppard. Tristan looked at them and they nodded almost imperceptibly.

Tristan reached out to Sheppard's mind and exhaled at the images. He retreated from them, as they were overpowering, but he stayed in Sheppard's mind and squeezed Sheppard's arm. "I am here, my lord. What you see is not real. It is not happening." _What you see is not real. What you see is not happening. Let it pass through you_.

Sheppard said nothing but slowly raised his head up and looked into Tristan's eyes. The Ancient held firmly to Sheppard. "I am here, my lord. We are all here. Let what you see pass."

Sheppard shut his eyes and tried to relax the muscles in his face. His head hurt but he focused on slowing his heart and his breathing. It was so real and it tore him apart. He took a moment longer and wiped a tear from his eye. He met Tristan's warm eyes then looked around. "What's this? Why the fuss?" He asked. His embarrassment was displayed as annoyance. He pushed Tristan away then stood up. The three present Guardians stepped back respectfully but kept a gentle connection to his mind. Tristan bowed. "My lord, are you alright?"

Sheppard looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "Yes. Of course I am. Thanks." Sheppard walked over to Teyla and offered his arm to her. She smiled as she took it but was still concerned. Sheppard turned around. "We have a party to go to." With that Sheppard walked out. The whole event lasted nearly 10 minutes and then it was as if nothing had happened. O'Neill looked around the room wondering what _had_ actually happened so he approached Tristan and asked exactly that. "What the hell was all that about? One minute everything is hunky dory then I get this nauseous feeling like a warning signal that something is up with Sheppard. What is going on?"

Tristan looked at the open door where Sheppard had exited with Teyla. "I do not know, my friend. I am not sure-only that the king was seeing something."

O'Neill looked at Tristan skeptically. "Seeing what?"

"I cannot tell if it was something of his past, or just something from the knowledge transfer." Tristan had another thought but kept it to himself because he did not think it probable. It was not part of Evander's wishes that his heir be able to see the future. It was too dangerous and a volatile gift that was more of a curse. Evander did not have this ability, and chose not to develop it; and neither did any of the Pegasi. O'Neill's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Well whatever it was. It certainly was not a happy thought," the general observed.

Tristan saw vaguely the images in Sheppard's head but not enough to know more of what was happening.

The Guardians were talking quietly as they processed the images that Tristan had shared with them. Saphides turned and spoke with deep concern. "We must keep an eye on him until we know exactly what this was about."

O'Neill wanted to say "duh" but restrained himself. He thought Sheppard was in the free and clear with weird events and knowledge transfers It had been months since anything like this had happened. He went back out to the party and Sheppard and Teyla had made their way back to the dance floor. He made his way over to Weir to discretely keep an eye on Sheppard while the Guardians talked with Tristan and the other Pegasi.

0000000

"John," Teyla asked quietly. She did not want to annoy him but she was still concerned. She could sense that he was not completely relaxed around her and she saw him occasionally steal glances around the room. "Are you sure you are alright?"

She saw a flash of annoyance cross his face, but it quickly vanished and he smiled at her. His eyes brightened but she saw something behind them…a haunted look. "I am, Teyla. Guess I'm just tired. It's been a long day and I didn't get much sleep; plus this crown is giving me a headache."

She squeezed a hand and accepted his diversion for now. She knew there was more to what happened than he was willing to say, but she would be patient. "Perhaps you should retire. It may give others who also may be tired an opportunity to make their exit. They will not leave before you."

He sighed. Stupid protocol-but then thought again. Most of the time at similar events when he was in the Air Force, it was the highest-ranking officer who usually left first. After that, the party either really got started, people began to leave, or both.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right. How about you?"

"I am going to visit with Elizabeth a little longer since she will be heading back tomorrow."

He smiled, stepped back and kissed her hand. He tilted his head slightly. "My lady, you look beautiful tonight."

Teyla smiled as she bowed her head slightly. "Thank you your majesty. You do not…how do they say…look so bad yourself."

He laughed and she took his arm as he escorted her toward Weir and O'Neill.

"General, I am heading out. Ready to hit the sack."

"Oh thank goodness," O'Neill said. "My feet hurt and Elizabeth was trying to get me to do the jitter bug or something like that."

Weir slapped O'Neill on the arm. "General O'Neill! I did no such thing. The jitter bug was before my time."

O'Neill frowned. "Oh. Well. Whatever. I am ready to hit the hay as well. How about we go say goodnight to Caldwell."

"Good idea," Sheppard said. "See you ladies tomorrow. Elizabeth we should have lunch before you leave."

Sheppard was tired and he pretended not to see O'Neill giving him a once over. They headed toward Caldwell who seemed to be having a great time talking with several of his new family members. They all stopped and bowed when he approached. "Your majesty," Caldwell said with a smile. "Hope you are enjoying the party."

"Yeah, it really is great. I haven't eaten or danced as much since, well a long time. I am beat, so I wanted to give my congratulations and say good night."

Caldwell stepped forward and shook his hand. "Thanks, your majesty."

"Welcome to the family, Steven," Sheppard said softly. He turned toward O'Neill. "Guess we have a new cousin, General."

O'Neill stepped forward and took Caldwell's hand and patted him on the back. "Well we didn't have a bald guy so…perfect." Caldwell laughed. "Congratulations, Steven," O'Neill continued more seriously. "I am really happy for you and glad that you are staying here with us more permanently."

"Thanks, Jack," Caldwell quietly said. "I am too."

With a final pat on Caldwell's back, O'Neill turned to walk out with Sheppard. The music stopped as they turned to leave and the trumpets played Sheppard's tune. The entire room bowed or curtsied. Sheppard said his thanks and asked them to continue to celebrate without him. The trumpets signaled again and Sheppard made his retreat with O'Neill close behind. Tristan and Lorne were waiting nearby, and Sheppard could sense the Guardians watching him.

"Must they always play that?" Sheppard asked annoyed as the music finished.

O'Neill shrugged. "Well, look at it this way, it's like "Hail to the Chief" for the President of the United States."

Sheppard snorted softly. "I guess." Sheppard turned to Tristan and Lorne. "The imperial guard is not required to escort me to my quarters. Really. Please rejoin the party."

Lorne looked at Tristan then back at Sheppard. "Uh, sir. We were actually using you as an excuse to kind of…make our exit." Tristan nodded in agreement.

"Oh," Sheppard said sheepishly. "Sorry. Of course. In that case, I require your escort to my quarters."

"Of course, my lord," Tristan said as he opened a door for Sheppard.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Sheppard said nothing as his valet removed his crown and robe. He repressed a groan as he felt the difference on his shoulders and head when the weight was no longer on him. The valet moved quickly and left sensing that Sheppard wanted to be alone. Sheppard was glad that Samsus had left for Ilium after the ceremony to prepare for his departure for Atlantis tomorrow. He was not sure if his mentor had sensed his earlier distress or not but Samsus and Tristan had seem to come to some sort of agreement with monitoring him and helping him. Although they held counsel together, many times if Samsus was gone, Tristan was around more and vice versa. Sheppard sat down in the large chair by his bed and tried to relax, but it was not working. He stood and looked outside. It was still early and the moon was bright and he smiled as he heard a whinny. Tristan and O'Neill had rode with him through the gate so Zorthos was here. He turned and left the room. A moonlight ride would be great.

He made his way to the stable unnoticed. Most everyone was at the ceremony or had retired for the night. Zorthos, of course, impatiently reared when he saw Sheppard coming. "Shhh. Keep still boy. Let's go for a quiet ride-without anyone else, just like we use to do. "

Zorthos snorted and pushed his nose into Sheppard's chest but otherwise stood patiently. Sheppard mounted and they trotted out of the paddock area. He looked behind and could see through the grand windows of the main castle. There were many people still there dancing. He gently prodded Zorthos and they raced off over the hill.

Sheppard enjoyed the freedom of riding alone. Though he had accepted less freedom since becoming king, he reveled in the few private moments he had-and they had become fewer and fewer. His chambers were a refuge but he enjoyed being outside. He raced toward the coast. Evander had the good sense to build his castles near the oceans. He must have enjoyed them just as Sheppard did. Maybe that was genetic too. Zorthos snorted with excitement and was eager to run faster. Sheppard let the reins go a little and he felt Zorthos change gears. Sheppard listened to the horse's rhythmic breathing and the pounding of hooves on the beach.

After a few minutes, he was going to pull back on the reins and slow to a walk when images seared his mind again. He saw a Wraith holding Teyla while another prepared to feed. _Tell us where he is human. Tell us where he is._ They did this over and over. They killed her then brought her back to life then did it again. He clutched his head and was oblivious to dropping the reins. He no longer heard Zorthos or was aware of what was going on around him.

Zorthos raced away from the beach and back towards the forest-enjoying the new freedom as his master set the reins loose. The giant black horse increased his speed until he sensed the anguish from his master. He instinctively began to slow but the momentum of his rider did not slow and he felt the weight lifted from his back. Zorthos heard a crashing sound and came to a complete stop. He turned toward his master's smell and stood next to him unmoving. He sensed the human's pain but could only nicker in support. Zorthos stomped the ground and neighed as his master twisted and grunted in the pile of brush. When Sheppard was still, Zorthos moved up slowly and softly touched the man with his nose. He knew his master was injured and Zorthos stood his ground to keep a watchful eye.

oooooooooo

I have not yet started chapter 5 but will get on it as soon as I can!


	5. Chapter 5

**Dear friends, I am ever grateful for your patience and understanding. It has been a rough summer, as some of you know. I don't have Chapter 6 started but I do know where I am going with that one. I will do my best to get it out but things still crazy. This chapter is unbetaed because my beta also has been sick, but we did not want to hold it any longer. Thanks to beta highonscifi though mistakes are all mine and to RFPegasus for your support. Thanks to all of for your understanding and continued interest.**

Chapter 5-Preparing for Earth

He picked himself up slowly from the ground and groaned as his shoulder protested. He moved it slightly and other than being very sore, he was certain it was not dislocated. Zorthos snorted and sniffed him over.

"I'm okay boy," Sheppard said as he patted the soft black muzzle. "Just a fall. Lucky I didn't hurt myself too bad, but going to need some aspirin tonight." Sheppard looked around. It was pitch black and he couldn't help but smile as he looked up at the stars. He listened for the sound of anyone approaching and had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He had managed to block his mind from others hoping that his thoughts or rather his distress had not reached either the Guardians or the Pegasi. He wasn't sure what was going on but he wasn't ready to share it with either. The first time had caught him off guard and he had been embarrassed. Were these visions or rather premonitions? He had had these before when he was just Armentarius and couldn't remember being anything but. He swallowed hard. He could not bear to have anything happen to Teyla. It was hard enough that anyone was in danger because of their relation to him, but losing her that way he could not live with, nor could he be handicapped by the fear of it. He sighed as he gathered the reigns gingerly. He was going to be pretty sore and that would be hard to hide but he just did not want any more questions right now until he figured things out.

"Come on boy," Sheppard said gently pulling on the reigns. "Let's walk back." He was not sure if he could get back on. His muscles were tightening up and he thought a walk back would be better

Zorthos stopped the ground and did not budge. "No I don't want to ride. We can't be that far."

Zorthos refused to budge and planted his feet stubbornly. Sheppard knew it was a losing battle and he walked toward the horse. A twinge in his left leg made him look down. It was dark so he could not see but he felt wetness on his fingers. It did not seem serious but he would have to wait until he got back to find out for sure. Perhaps Zorthos did know best. He went up and patted the big black neck "You know. I _am_ the king. Not you." Zorthos nickered and threw his head up and down and Sheppard got the distinct feeling that the horse was laughing at him.

oooooooooo

Samsus looked out across the balcony of the great city. He had felt Sheppard's distress. His protégé had blocked it quickly and Samsus smiled at the skill Sheppard had begun to develop with his mind. Sheppard had communicated with him about the Pegasi, the approaching wedding and, as Sheppard put it, to say hello. Samsus closed his eyes and tried to recollect the images but they had been too brief. Sheppard would share when needed.

Samsus turned and walked toward his room. The city was quiet and peaceful. He could sense from her that she wanted Sheppard to return. Samsus had communicated with Atlantis, informing her of what Sheppard was doing and when he would return. He truly could not determine if the city was alive or if that was his own imagination, but this city was quite sophisticated even compared to what had been left on the Armentarian worlds. Perhaps Sheppard had done that with his connection to her. Yet it was just a city and how could it be truly alive? Samsus smiled as he entered his room. He did however get the feeling that Atlantis not only missed Sheppard but also was envious of those that took him away from her. Samsus sighed. He would see Sheppard tomorrow now that his negotiations for a summit were complete with Earth and the IOA.

ooooooooooo

Sheppard groaned as he took off Zortho's saddle. He enjoyed doing it himself and the groomsmen stopped asking him but today he wished they had. Zorthos was still except for his incessant sniffing as he seemed to examine Sheppard.

"So you are a doctor as well as a king," Sheppard said quietly as he slipped off the bridle. "Carson won't appreciate that. Besides I have enough doctors."

Zorthos threw his head up and down and neighed with slight distress. Sheppard put a calming hand on him. "It's not your fault boy. I should have paid more attention. Not your fault okay. Looks like they left you a snack. I'll see you tomorrow."

Zorthos placed his muzzle in Sheppard's chest and let the king rub him a moment before turning toward his food.

Sheppard walked slowly back to the palace. The party was over and all seemed very quiet so hopefully he would not be noticed. The halls were empty and darker than usual since there was virtually no moonlight. He commanded the lights to not turn on for him when he passed as they usually did. This city read his mind like Atlantis but more subtly and less insistent. Maybe that was because Atlantis had been alone for so long. He neared his door and the guard came to attention. He seemed surprised to see him. He had not wanted any guards or attendants outside his door, but it had been a compromise. The Guardians had wanted to have an attendant in the room, there for his every need. Samsus the wise had suggested someone outside the door as a compromise and both parties had agreed. Some days he would see his clothes laid out for him, other times he locked his door and wore whatever he could grab out of his closet, usually his black fatigues. He nodded slightly at the young guard.

"Good night your majesty."

"Good night Kalib. By the way, have you asked that girl to marry you yet?"

The guard smiled as he opened the door for Sheppard and the light of the room shone on both of them. "Indeed your majesty. I finally summoned the courage."

"That's good. I was wondering how long it would take. Now you just have to suffer through the preparations."

Sheppard smiled at the look of the guard's face as the door closed. He moved away with a groan. He was getting very stiff and it was unlikely that he had any Tylenol in his washroom. He moved to the closet to dig through his bag and found nothing. He hissed as he turned to sit in the chair to get a better look at his leg. His trousers were torn. The valet was going to be very unhappy with him, but not as unhappy as his physician when he saw the gash. It was a lost cause. There was no way he could take care of this himself. He sighed as he mentally called for the guard.

The door opened less then two seconds later. Kalib bowed then stood at attention. "Yes my lord?"

"Kalib, would you get Healer Scaldur…discretely."

The guard bowed and without question turned and left the room. Sheppard took his shirt off. There were a few scratches and his midsection was sore to the touch, but he was otherwise in tact. There was a slight knock at his door and it opened partially.

"My Lord?" A voiced called quietly.

Sheppard looked up. "Come in Scaldur."

The physician was dressed in his night robes and he carried a small bag in his left hand. He eyed Sheppard quickly from head to toe. "Your Highness, what has happened? How have you injured yourself?"

Sheppard sighed as Scaldur began to examine him. "I fell off of Zorthos. Went for a late ride, and it was dark. I should have known better, but I wanted some fresh air."

Scaldur looked up. "It does not appear that you have seriously injured yourself but this wound on your leg could become infected. I must clean it out and apply the sealer. It will be slightly uncomfortable." The physician did not wait for an answer as he quickly rummaged through the back and began his work on Sheppard's leg.

"Okay fine…ow…damn! Where did you get your bedside manner….Carson?"

Scaldur smiled sheepishly as he worked quickly. "Forgive me my lord. I should have warned you."

"Yeah," Sheppard said through gritted teeth, "I thought…ow…jeez man, I could have got Ronon to do this…damnn it!"

Scaldur looked up. "I am sorry sir, but the wound was deep and it would have taken longer to apply anything to numb it and doubt it would have worked well. I am however finished."

Sheppard was sweating slightly and was annoyed as pain often made him, but at least the wound was closed up. "Well thank goodness because I might have had to hit you."

Scaldur laughed as he stood. He saw the bruise on Sheppard's shoulder and touched it. Sheppard hissed and glared up at him. "My apologies my lord," Scaldur said quickly and with compassion. "I believe it is only bruised. Are you able to move it fully."

Sheppard demonstrated. "Yeah but it is sore."

Scaldure handed Sheppard some medication. "This will help alleviate the soreness, facilitate your healing, and help you sleep. Please call for me in the morning so I may examine you before you resume your duties."

"Thanks. I am sorry I woke you. I was going to try to take care of it myself."

Scaldur smiled. "It was wise that you did not. Unless you preferred to use the archaic stitching method with no pain relief."

Sheppard looked up at him with a frown. He had done that before. "I might have been better off."

Scaldur raised his eyebrows. "I doubt it my lord, but you are welcome none the less."

Sheppard was getting sleepy and Scaldur helped him get in bed. "Why are all physicians so…insolent." Sheppard slurred as his eyes closed.

Scaldur covered the sleeping king and looked down with sadness. "Because warrior kings always get themselves injured nearly beyond repair, and insolence is the only defense against worry for a king's doctor."

Scaldur slipped out and spoke to the guard, "Kalib, the king is not to be disturbed until I return in the morning."

The guard bowed. "Yes Lord Scaldur."

ooooo

"We have all plans in place."

LaPierre turned and looked at the red haired man. "I hope so. There is a threat out there and I want to get to the bottom of what is going on. The IOA proper is unsure of what to do. They will neither interfere nor support but they will abandon us if we fail to produce results."

The red haired man looked at LaPierre. "If we fail to produce results. Your IOA is the least of our problems."

ooooooo

Sheppard woke in a sweat. He couldn't remember the dream—couldn't remember sleeping. He sat up quickly and regretted it. He had forgotten that as well. He looked down at his leg. He was supposed to call Scaldur when he woke. He did remember that. He gingerly got up from his bed and walked to the washroom to wash up. After he was done he grabbed his robe then sat in the chair. He closed his eye to see who was standing guard at his door. The sun had not risen yet but it was near dawn. He hated to wake the doctor, but if Scaldur was like Beckett, the doctor was probably already awake. He called for the guard.

Kalib opened the door slightly. "Yes my lord?"

"Kalib, would you see if Lord Scaldur has awakened?"

"He has my lord," the young guard said. "He has already come by to see if you yourself had awakened.

Sheppard smiled. Yes doctors were so much alike. "Thank you Kalib. Could you have him come to my chambers?"

The guard nodded and bowed.

Sheppard sat back in the chair with his leg up. It was not long before there was a slight rap at the door. "Come in," Sheppard answered.

Scaldur walked in fully dressed for the day this time. "Good morning Your Majesty. Did you sleep well?"

"I think so," Sheppard answered. I don't remember much of anything, and I feel pretty good."

Scaldur examined Sheppard's shoulder and midsection. Then looked at the leg. He nodded approvingly. "All looks well. You are likely to be sore but you should heal well, though I suggest you not go riding for at least 5 days or do any significant exertion…if you can manage."

Sheppard looked up at him with feigned annoyance. "I believe I can manage."

Scaldur smiled thinly and with satisfaction. He turned to leave when he felt a hand on his arm. "My lord?"

"Umm." Sheppard began, looking uncomfortable, "No one has to know about this do they?"

Scaldur looked at Sheppard almost confused then sympathetically. Yes though a king wielded great power in many respects he forfeited much power.

"We have privileged communication sire. This injury is slight and at your discretion to disclose. Your other injuries have been…more public."

Sheppard released his hand. "Well, yeah. I guess you're right. I just am sick of people fussing over me."

"You do tend to get in some rather serious trouble, and I expect more to follow," Scaldur said quietly, "But as I said, a private minor injury is at your discretion."

Sheppard seemed satisfied. "Okay then. Thanks again."

Scaldur bowed. "Remember to take your medication at breakfast and lunch then the other at dinner so you may rest. The soreness should resolve within three to five days."

Sheppard watched him leave then got dressed. Samsus returned today and Elizabeth would leave.

0000000000

"Samsus! Welcome back. You missed all the great parties," Sheppard said as his mentor entered his meeting room. It was like a grand office, and he had been busy that day. Elizabeth had come and gone. Teyla, Ronon and McKay had joined him for lunch, which he had enjoyed. They had so few moments as a team anymore. They had not spoken of it openly, but Kildar had been the last time they had functioned close to a military contingent. Now there was the now formalized imperial guard that included the Pegasi. In a way he longed for the old days. He let his mind drift to Ford and others including the Genii. Now everything was complicated and he desperately wanted to protect his friends.

Samsus bowed deeply. "It is good to see you Your Royal Highness."

"Come on now Sam. You know you can call me John at least when it's just us. Sit down and tell me how you calmed the IOA."

Samsus smiled at the king's exuberance. The old man had been worried given the previous night but the younger man seemed in good spirits and well except there seemed to be a very slight limp.

"The IOA is very concerned about you," Samsus began as he accepted a small drink from Sheppard. "They are unsure what to make of you. They mistrust you and do not understand how you have garnered so much power."

"Well, I am kinda wondering all that myself…I guess."

"They are trying to pressure the President of your United States to condemn you and retake Atlantis."

"And what did he say?"

Samsus set his glass down. "He wishes to meet with you. Have a state dinner or something of that nature. He recognizes that you have some authority but he is fearful of your position. He believes that you wish to ally with Earth, but LaPierre's report made you sound like a rogue. It also appears you as well as Col O'Neill had a reputation even before coming to Atlantis."

Sheppard shrugged noncommittally and Samsus continued.

"I suppose he wants me to come to Earth?"

"He does. He is aware this may put you at a disadvantage but offers his protection. He tried to determine exactly what kind of power you had in the way of defenses and such, but I told him nothing. I did tell him that you had been quite willing to share discoveries to better Earth's defenses but little else. Though he feels that you coming to Earth puts things on even ground, he also is cautious as to what you will bring with you for…protection."

Sheppard sighed. "Well I need to think about this and consult with the Guardians and Pegasi. I have enough things to worry about here and it is an annoyance to have to deal with Earth right now. LaPierre really screwed things up. Where is Woolsey?"

"He returned with me and is relaying the same information to the Guardians and the Pegasi."

"Oh, that's good. I guess we could have all met together. Just been a long day."

"I figured as much and Mr. Woolsey is trustworthy. I believe he does not trust the IOA and is torn between loyalties. He suspects something wrong has occurred and because of LaPierre , they are dangerously close to becoming rogue themselves."

"Like we don't have enough of those organizations. People are so damn greedy Sam. Greedy for power, for money for anything that puts them at an advantage over another. I have fought too long because of people's greed."

Samsus could not argue that point. It had been different on Ilium and the other worlds. There were petty grievances but no desire for world domination among the Guardians. He sighed and they sat in silence for a while.

Sheppard yawned and grimaced slightly. "I said bye to Elizabeth this morning. She is headed back to Earth for some leave."

"Well deserved rest."

"Yeah. This whole business with Earth has been a pain for her as well."

There was a knock at the door and the Pegasi and Guardians walked in with Woolsey. Tristan bowed and Sheppard motioned for them to sit.

"Well Lord Tristan," Sheppard said cheerfully, "Shall we return to Earth sooner than expected?"

"It could be a trap my lord, " Etienne said.

Sheppard laughed. "Of course it is. But a trap for whom? The IOA is behind something and we need to resolve the Earth issue so we can focus here in this galaxy. We cannot wait much longer to defeat the Wraith. The cat will be out of the bag and we won't have much in the way of surprise."

"We will begin making preparations for possible security contingencies."

"Great. Uncle," Sheppard said turning to Saphides. "Will you and the other Guardians work with Mr. Woolsey and Samsus to discuss diplomatic options and make the arrangements?"

Saphides bowed. "Yes of course."

Sheppard stood quickly and bit his lip but tried to keep his face otherwise relaxed. He smiled broadly. "Well I am hungry so let's break for now."

If they noticed his injury they said nothing. His mind was a shield and tried very hard to project that he was fine or rather an image that he was fine. He wondered if that had actually worked or if they had indeed noticed and they were being polite, knowing perhaps that he did not want to be bothered by it.

He watched as they left silently and sank in his chair relieved that he was finally alone. He closed his eyes and reached for Teyla's mind and felt her touch back. He sighed wondering what he must do, a part of him knew what he had to do but he feared she would not understand, and he would lose her forever. He told her goodnight as he knew that she was at a birthday celebration for Halling then stood to leave. There were so many people surrounding him and truly supporting him, but just now, he felt very much alone.

oooooooo

She doubted very much she would survive this. La Pierre did not scare her, but the one named Gareth. There was something about him that left a cold chill down her spine. She was the bait. That was clear. Elizabeth looked out across the warehouse they held her in. She could only pick up pieces of the conversation but she knew this was a trap for John and she was equally determined that there was no way they would use her to hurt him. They were arranging a glass cell at the other end of the warehouse and there had to be at least 20 or more people, most of them what she could characterize as goons with guns. She tried to reach across the stars to warn him but she knew it was no use. Sheppard was not here in this galaxy, not yet, but he would be here. The IOA had saw to that. She lay back on the cot. At least she had made it home. As powerful as Gareth might be they had no clue what Sheppard was capable of. She closed her eyes and smiled. She only wished she would be around to find out.

oooooooo

Rodney sat across Sheppard while they had a rare meal together. "Are you crazy!" McKay sputtered. "You can't go back to Earth and meet with the IOA or the President or whatever. They will capture you."

Sheppard looked at his friend. McKay was genuinely worried and his friend probably had some reason to be. He was going to say something, but McKay continued.

"Don't you understand that they would love to get their hands on you. They don't trust you. You're…you're like Magneto and Professor X all in one plus who knows whatever other mutants."

Sheppard looked skeptically at McKay. "Rodney," he drawled, "Those are comic characters and…and by the way isn't Magneto evil?"

McKay harrumphed and folded his arms. "No he is not really evil…just conflicted…but, but…well anyway…"

"Rodney, they don't know what I can do," Sheppard said pushing the plate of cheeses toward McKay. "They don't know what I can do okay? They are just a little nervous about Atlantis, and I guess about me having all these resources. Look Earth is our home and right now the powers that be there are being a huge pain in the ass. I need to reassure them, make everything nice so that I can take care of business here. We are ready to take it to the Wraith but I can't battle on two fronts."

McKay sat back. "They can't offer us much you know. They are going to be afraid of you because they know they cannot offer you anything to battle the Wraith and are afraid you won't protect them.

"Rodney, Earth is our home. We will always protect it. Look. I won't make you come, but I would like you to. Lorne, O'Neill a few of the Pegasi, Guardian Sarik."

"What about Teyla?" McKay asked as he grabbed his toast. He frowned slightly as he saw Sheppard shift uncomfortably and looked away toward the door.

"No. She is staying behind and so is Caldwell."

McKay knew Sheppard well enough when to shut up. Sometimes he listened to that voice and sometimes he did not, but this time he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Okay. Would love to go. Can I see my sister?"

"Of course. We are going to have a state dinner or something like that but kind of secret. I can add their names. O'Neill is inviting Col Carter and I added Elizabeth's name."

McKay stood up. "I still don't like this. I have a bad feeling."

Sheppard was not completely settled about it. "Look Rodney, don't think that I would go there without a plan. I don't trust the IOA either. Besides. You always have a bad feeling."

McKay turned toward the door. That may be the case, but he had a really bad feeling. The truth was though that if something bad did happened, he wanted to be there and not here wondering what was going on.

**I hope you are not disappointed with lack of action but it is coming. Just had to find a way to get Shep to Earth and did have just a wee bit of whump! Okay. I will get started on six. Please bear with me. **


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone. I am so sorry. Words cannot express how sorry I am. RL just won't stop. It is not bad just too much. Since my grandmother died which was very hard, I have changed jobs and now have fifth grade math homework, kindergarten homework and just don't have time to really work through this because of exhaustion. I was going to write a longer chapter but keep getting e-mails about when I will post next so I have completed this one and it is now betaed. I am writing the next chapter and I will finish, but I continue to struggle, primarily because just so much going on. I promise I will not stop until it is done. Thanks for your support and all of you who have reviewed and sent me PM with encouragement. I fear disappointing all of you.

Disclaimer…Still not mine and still don't make any money off of this.

Chapter 6- The President

Sheppard sighed as he crossed his arms. There were stacks of the Armentarian version of suitcases. He shook his head as Samsus talked to the chief valet Fiare as they inventoried and checked the list, not twice but three times. After more checking, Samsus finally looked up with a smile. "Your majesty, all is prepared."

"Sam, we are only going to be there five days. I could put everything I need in a back pack. Isn't that right Fiare? " The valet looked at Sheppard helplessly. Sheppard continued. "I mean jeez it looks like those women loading their trunks onto the Titanic and you know what happened there. "

Samsus put the list down and dismissed Fiare. "My lord. I do not understand the comparison to this 'Titanic'."

Sheppard looked thoughtful a moment. "We didn't watch that one?" Sheppard smiled. "I think it was Rodney's pick that week. He said he has figured out how to build a theater here where we can watch all the latest...well at least what we can get."

Samsus listened, bemused, as Sheppard got sidetracked for a few minutes until the king realized he was off track and took on a serious look.

"Well as I was saying, do I really need all this stuff? Come on. I need a pair of pants, maybe a tux…."

"Your Majesty, I received an itinerary from the President's protocol staff where all was explained. You are a head of state and much of this visit is formal."

"Why can't I just wear a nice suit or a tuxedo?"

"I do not know what a tuxedo is and these are your suits."

"_There is no use arguing with you, is there?"_

"_No, Your Majesty."_

Sheppard rolled his eyes then turned toward the door. "I need to go talk to Teyla."

Samsus studied Sheppard a moment—sensed the trepidation but said nothing about his observation-and simply nodded. "I will make the final preparations."

000000000

Teyla watched him play with his food. She knew something was on his mind because, though he tried to hide it, he was doing a poor job of it. "John," she said with a smile, "I was not sure what to pack for our trip to Earth. We leave tomorrow afternoon and I really do not have much time."

Sheppard did not make eye contact with her at first. She sighed. She knew what he was going to say, he had been more distant and worried since the wedding of Caldwell. "John?"

He looked at her and she could see that his eyes looked wet. "John, what is wrong?"

He reached out and clasped her hand. "Teyla…you know that I love you, right?"

"Of course John. But, you have been so distant lately," she began, "I know you have been busy as have I."

"Teyla…I have, but look. There is no easy way to say this." She watched him fidget and look away. Finally his gaze met hers and she could see that he was determined and fearful all at the same time. "Teyla…I can't let you come with me."

This she had not expected. "Why not, John?" she said calmly. Surely there was a good reason.

"Teyla, they are going to try to use you against me…to get to me. I can't let that happen."

She looked at him quizzically. "John, what are you talking about? What has happened?"

"Nothing has happened….Not yet."

"What do you mean?" she stared at him for a moment and then she realized what he was thinking. "You have had dreams…or maybe visions. At the dance that is what happened."

He looked up at her. "Yes," he said quietly.

"John. You know those aren't always true. The last time you thought there was a Wraith attack on that planet."

"This feels different, Teyla. It feels like the one where the Wraith attack was true. When I couldn't remember who I was. Remember we checked. Teyla…"

"What did you see John?"

He stood up and turned away and looked out the window. He did not want to tell her how he saw her dying over and over again. "You were taken from me Teyla…used against me…hurt."

She came up to him and put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulders. "John. I would never allow them to use me against you. I would die before…"

He swirled around so fast that she would have fallen back if he had not gripped her arms so tight. "Don't you think I know that! I know that you would die for me Teyla and I can't let that happen."

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean, you can't let that happen. You would die for me John; we have proven that for each other."

"But things are different now," he said still gripping on to her.

"How so?" She said as she pulled herself free.

"Teyla," he said incredulously. "Our enemies may have wanted any one of us, but if they find out about this place then all these people and everything we planned is in jeopardy."

"Do you not you trust me not to reveal…"

"Of course I do, damn it! I know that, Teyla, but," he said looking down. "I could never let that happen. I would do anything, jeopardize anything to protect and save you. My love for you is my weakness and they will use that."

She glared at him. "Our love a weakness? What about Rodney or Ronon? What about them? You would do anything to save them."

"I didn't have visions about them," he answered weakly. He would try to save them, but as much as losing them would hurt, losing Teyla would devastate him.

"So...what? You will have me a prisoner here on YOUR worlds? I am unable to move freely where I desire?"

"Not just you, Teyla, anyone not directly on a sanctioned mission."

"So I will no longer go on missions?" she said her voice cutting through him.

"Teyla I need you here, to watch over OUR people. They are our responsibility Teyla. We need warriors here as well."

"Are we not equals, John?"

"Yes Teyla, of course we are!"

She walked toward the door and looked back at him. "If that is the case then why do you get to choose where I can and cannot go?" She walked out before he had a chance to answer.

He sighed because she had a point and one he could not argu-at least, not fairly. He hoped she would come around but it unsettled him how she left. It was his weakness and not hers, and he had not thought differently of any member of his team until more recently when he came to love her, but she was right. He would do anything to save them and maybe the problem was that he had to accept that maybe he would not be able to do this one day and he could not protect them or her or these people here forever. He reached out to her with his mind but she rebuffed hum. He could sense very clearly that she was crying. He swirled around and slammed his fist on the hard wooden table.

There was a knock at the door. "What!"

The soldier bowed low. "Forgive me my lord. I was told to inform you that the Guardians and Pegasi are assembled for you."

Sheppard growled deep in his throat. "I will be right there."

0000000000000000

They should be arriving any minute Mr. President."

Crowley looked out the window of the oval office. "Thanks Marcus, I'm ready." He hoped this was the right thing to do. He had looked up Sheppard's file right and left and inside and out. He was virtually alone on Earth, save for his brother who by all intense and purposes, he had very little contact with. Sheppard came from a very well-to-do family but abandoned it to serve his country. He did that well except for a problem with following orders, but even though that was frowned upon, Crowley respected a man who put his friends and his word before his career. Crowley liked General Jack O'Neill and Sheppard was, in many respects, like O'Neill. Unfortunately both men were no longer under his service and the IOA had a great deal to do with that. Now he had to make amends with Sheppard because, like it or not, having Sheppard and O'Neil and for that matter Caldwell on his side was important. They had messed up relations with their best ally because the IOA could not keep control of its members. But maybe that is what the IOA had in mind all along.

Crowley walked outside to greet his guests. There were some who still viewed Sheppard as a rogue lieutenant colonel who did not deserve the state meeting they would be having, but Crowley knew, Sheppard was legitimate. The president had spent a good deal of time getting to know Ambassador Samsus. Many would underestimate Sheppard, look down at him, but he was powerful…maybe too powerful and Crowley wanted him on his side.

There were a number of other heads of state lined up to meet the king, but Sheppard was going to see Crowley first and that gave Crowley and the US an advantage. He turned and walked out of the office. It was supposed to be the symbol of power in the world, but here he was, going to see the most powerful former Air Force lieutenant colonel in the universe.

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Tristan and Etienne stood in their armor on either side of Sheppard. Behind them Lorne was also adorned in armor while O'Neill and McKay were behind him in the clothes of the noblemen of the Armentarian worlds. The remaining Atlantis Pegasi were waiting on the Scabeur ready to intervene while the Earth Pegasi were standing ready. Sheppard had transported down into the designated area-of course after it had been properly scanned and cleared by the "imperial guard." Somehow, Lorne's nickname for the combined bodyguard and advisors had stuck. Samsus had remained behind having done his job to set up negotiations.

_The armor is a little much, don't you think Tristan? _Sheppard asked as they walked up the stairs to the waiting President.

Sheppard could feel Tristan smile. _Truly my lord. As much as a crown and the regalia which adorn you._

_I am surrounded by smart asses._

_Yes my lord._

Sheppard was smiling crookedly when he reached could see the disdain on some of the cabinet members. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, however, was smiling broadly and Sheppard actually felt a sense of pride emanating from the fellow Air Force officer. The President stepped forward and extended his arm.

"Your Royal Highness. Welcome."

Sheppard took the hand and nodded with a smile. "Mr. President. Please call me John."

"Welcome John."

Sheppard turned to Tristan and Etienne and introduced them. They nodded curtly but said nothing and Crowley eyed them warily. The President's eyes scanned over McKay briefly before settling on O'Neill. "Jack," he said warmly. "It is good to see you again."

"Thank you sir," O'Neill said almost reflexively. Sheppard could sense that O'Neill was uneasy...or, perhaps, wary.

Crowley introduced his wife, then guided the entourage inside and they made their way to the oval office. He looked over at McKay. McKay actually looked relaxed. Why wouldn't he? Etienne was standing next to him looking intimidating as hell. Crowley was the one looking nervous. Tristan and O'Neill accompanied the President inside the oval office. Sheppard had actually never been in it. It was impressive, the office of the greatest power on earth. Sheppard couldn't help himself and he smiled. He was not an arrogant man, but he knew that the greatest power on Earth or, for that matter, even the combined strength of all the powers on the Earth did not compare to the power he possessed if he called upon it. A shiver ran down his spine has an image of him cold and hurt in the dark woods flashed in his mind. He saw the dead men around him and it made the hair on the back of his neck rise as he looked at Crowley and realized that he could, with a thought, take his life. He felt Tristan's curious stare on him but ignored it as he took a seat in front of the president. O'Neill sat next to him and Tristan stood guard behind him. Crowley was with the vice president and one secret service agent.

"John," Crowley began, "We are very happy you agreed to visit with us. I know things have been a little…difficult since LaPierre went rogue."

"President Crowley, I sincerely doubt that LaPierre acted alone. Where does the IOA stand currently?"

Crowley shifted. "Not much has changed except that LaPierre has been removed from his position."

"If not much as changed," Sheppard said slowly, "then pardon me, sir, but what authority do you have to actually negotiate? And, for that matter, what do you actually have to offer?"

Crowley shifted uneasily. "The IOA hopes that I can serve has an intermediary between you and them. They hope to make amends for LaPierre's behavior."

Sheppard sighed and he stood. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. I'm tired. It was a long trip and the dinner is tonight. I doubt there is much the IOA or you could offer me for that matter. I am here because this is my home and the home of many that have chosen to remain on Atlantis. I don't want them caught in the middle."

"They don't have to be in the middle, John. What is it that you want?" Crowley could see the weariness in Sheppard's eyes.

Sheppard glanced back and looked almost lost in thought. "I'll let you know. "

Crowley put his hand on Sheppard's shoulder then took it off. He wouldn't normally do that with a foreign dignitary especially a royal, but Sheppard was homegrown and that was hard to ignore. "Let's talk more tomorrow, then. Tonight is just an excuse for them to show off and maybe get a little dancing in."

Sheppard smiled slightly as he excited the office. He half turned back before he left. "Have you been able to locate Dr. Weir?"

"No, John. We haven't. We are still trying."

Sheppard frowned. It was odd as he expected to easily meet up with her per their last conversation. He reached out his mind to her but sensed only the smallest thread. He looked at Tristan a moment who had sensed Sheppard's concern and nodded slightly.

"Please let me know when you locate her," he said quietly. He was certain Crowley did not know, but something was wrong.

"Of course we will. In the meantime, I know that you all have to be tired. We have made arrangements for you to stay here as well your men," Crowley motioned toward a gentleman waiting quietly just outside the door. "Mark will show you where to go, John, as well as Jack and Dr. McKay, while Jacob, my secret service agent, will show your escort where they can stay as well as discuss all the security questions I am sure they will have. I'll see you tonight."

Sheppard gave his thanks and they followed their escort and met up with the rest of their group. Tristan remained with Sheppard while the Pegasi sent Etienne to discuss other plans with the Secret Service.

Sheppard excused himself. He was tired and worried. He should have easily been able to find Elizabeth. Sheppard knew this was all a trap, but he had not figured that Elizabeth would have been a pawn. Crowley had been telling the truth when he said that they did not know where she was. The President was truly worried and this is what had made Sheppard even more concerned. He had asked Etienne to communicate with the other Pegasi that had remained behind on Earth to monitor all communications to look for her. Tristan entered the room and said nothing as he took the crown from Sheppard as well as the light robe. The Pegasi had already inspected the unpacking of the eveningwear for tonight. Sheppard did not want to bring everything down at once. Tristan determined the king had a sixth sense.

"My lord, we have just over five hours until the beginning of the dinner. "

Sheppard looked at him curiously. "What happened to the valet they provided?"

"I dismissed him."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Well I don't need one anyway. But I will take a nap if you will agree to rest."

Tristan laughed. "I will do so. I have posted one of the Pegasi outside your door. Lorne, Etienne and I will take our leave until tonight to accompany you."

Sheppard stretched out on the bed and yawned despite himself. "Okay. Then have him wake me in a couple of hours."

"Yes my lord," Tristan said as he left and quietly closed the door behind him. He could sense Sheppard's weariness and his worry for Elizabeth Weir and for Teyla.

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Gareth looked at Weir. He felt a small pang of sadness. She was a strong woman, a good woman who deserved better than to be a pawn. Unfortunately it was the only way to get Sheppard into their trap. He despised working with the IOA but their ignorance and stupidity were the opportunity he needed to fulfill his mission. Evander had left a legacy but there had been too much leniency and interference by the Pegasi to see that legacy come to fruition. The humans had been given too many opportunities and it was time for them to be on their own. The Pegasus Galaxy would have to do without its savior. Perhaps Weir would survive. He looked at her once more then turned and left.

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Sheppard glared at the IOA representatives across the table. They looked at him smugly, except for Chen. She looked slightly uncomfortable. Sheppard tried to read their minds but that was difficult to do. He was not sure why but he could not read their thoughts-only get a sense of their duplicity from at least two of them. "John," Crowley said, "let me introduce Vice President Eilson." Sheppard shook his hand and was surprised to see a flash of Elizabeth in his mind. Sheppard stared into the eyes of Gareth and searched his mind. It was odd-there was nothing particularly suspicious that stood out-but Sheppard felt as if he was looking into a dark pool-almost a pseudo mind. He nodded politely. He conveyed this feeling to Tristan. The Ancient was standing with Lorne near the entrance. It was obvious that they were there to protect Sheppard and, despite how they looked, no one bothered them. Tristan sent Sheppard a mental shrug but Sheppard knew Tristan would continue to watch the Vice President.

"I think I deserve another title after being subjected to this."

Looking at Jack O'Neill, Sheppard could not help but smile. "Don't you think you have enough already?"

"Well, maybe my own fishing hole."

Sheppard laughed. "You have a whole lake."

O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "True. True." He took a bite of the dessert that had been given him. "But still. I think this is above and beyond."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "At least you don't have to wear a crown."

"Yes. There is that. Alright. Fine. Small sacrifice me being your cousin and all. I just don't see the point to this."

Sheppard looked around the room. He realized one thing. "Smoke and mirrors, General. This is all smoke and mirrors. You and I both know that this is some trap, but Crowley is sincere. The IOA, the US, nobody has anything to offer us, but something hasn't been right…hasn't_ felt _right. The IOA has always been a pain in the ass but LaPierre? Well, that seemed like only a test. I just can't put my finger on it. "

O'Neill took a sip of his drink. "I agree. It really bothers me that we can't find Elizabeth."

Sheppard did not look at O'Neill and smiled at a group of women who were eyeing him. _I saw Elizabeth when I shook the vice president's hand._

O'Neill kept his face neutral. _Are you sure? Maybe a coincidence?_

Sheppard sighed. _Maybe._ He stood up slowly. Everyone was moving to the ballroom. He smiled slightly. "Let's go make our appearance. Then we will go find Elizabeth."

O'Neill smirked. He did not know how they would find Elizabeth, but it was clear that Sheppard had had enough of the pomp and circumstance. Tomorrow was a meeting with the IOA and O'Neill had no idea what Sheppard had in mind. He was not even sure Sheppard knew, but it was clear. Something was wrong and O'Neill got the impression that although Sheppard wanted to find some way to keep strong relations with his homeworld-hell, so did he-this chapter had to be closed and Sheppard needed to focus on the Wraith in Pegasus. O'Neill watched Sheppard work his way through the room, saw the heads bow as he passed and saw the eyes of the IOA members never leave him. The President's wife was the lucky one to have the first dance. It was all show on both sides. Sheppard wanted so much to protect Earth, to have them as allies, but Earth, or at least the people who had any major say on things like Pegasus, wanted Sheppard for their own means or not at all. They would never trust him.

"If only they knew what he could really do…they would trust him even less."

O'Neill started then glared over his shoulder. "Please stop reading my mind."

Tristan smiled. "I apologize. I was scanning the room and caught your thoughts."

O'Neill shrugged. "Well, as long as you don't go poking around in there too much," the General said as he walked away.

Tristan laughed slightly. He did not have to read O'Neill's mind to know what he was thinking as the man spoke clearly what he thought. Tristan turned to make his way toward Etienne.

_TRISTAN!_ The Pegasi swung around and looked directly into the eyes of Sheppard. They were wide and glassy. The king had made his way back to the table and no one seemed to have noticed as the music had continued on. Tristan made his way quickly there, alerting Etienne and Lorne. They soon had surrounded Sheppard as discretely as three armored men could be. O'Neill had seen what was happening and had begun to say their good nights to the President.

"I am sorry he is leaving so soon," Crowley said as he watched the three Pegasi head out with a barely visible Sheppard amongst them.

"We had a great time. He just wants to be on his A game tomorrow," O'Neill said then leaned in closer, "And, I think he is a little embarrassed by all the attention."

Crowley looked around and saw a few disappointed women. He didn't figure Sheppard to be embarrassed by the attention of others least of all women. He smiled. "I understand. Please give him my regards. We do not have anything planned in the morning so he should be able to rest before the meeting."

"Thank you," O'Neill said with a slight bow then quickly headed toward McKay who was speaking to several people and seemed to be enjoying it.

"Dr. McKay," O'Neill said with a broad smile that hid his annoyance. He couldn't help it. He liked the man well enough now, but he was still annoying, "We are retiring to the King's chambers."

"Okay. Thanks General. I'll see you."

O'Neill growled under his breath. "No, we are all retiring." McKay looked at him oblivious. "Now," O'Neill said with a smile that looked more like a tiger eyeing it's prey.

McKay got the message and quickly set his cup down. "Sorry, of course, I forgot," he said as he rushed off behind O'Neill. McKay felt a sense of urgency and dread but was not sure whether that was coming from him, the general, or somewhere else.

When they entered the suite, Sheppard was on his knees. Tristan was next to him. O'Neill and McKay froze. Tristan was helping Sheppard up. The King was sweating and he was unsteady on his feet as Tristan steered Sheppard to a chair.

"What is going on?" O'Neill finally said.

Tristan nodded to Lorne who replaced him at Sheppard's side.

"He saw Dr. Weir. Felt her presence."

Sheppard lifted his head from his hand. His eyes still had the glaze of fresh tears. His head was throbbing. "I know where she is Jack. We need to go get her."

O'Neill nodded. He looked at Tristan then back at Sheppard. "Where do we go?"

Sheppard stood more steadily now, and O'Neill saw fury in his eyes. "Just down the road." O'Neill saw the image in his mind and he frowned. "Why so close to the White House?"

"I don't know," Sheppard said. His stomach was in knots. Elizabeth was safe but she was in some sort of room. He couldn't see much more than that. The Pegasi were communicating plans and Sheppard could see McKay going crazy. He walked up to him. "We'll go and get her Rodney. We found her, now we have to go and get her and we'll take her home…to Pegasus."

Rodney looked into Sheppard's eyes and saw his friend's barely contained fury. "I know we will John. What do you want me to do?"

Sheppard smiled slightly. "Get nerded up because I need you doing your thing while I do mine." Sheppard turned away then back again. "Just make sure you bring your gun." McKay smiled as Sheppard made eye contact with Etienne who nodded slightly. The blond Pegasi came up to Rodney and McKay understood as they headed out. Every move they made was being watched so they had to be discrete and it would be Etienne's job to get McKay out of the White House. Frankly, McKay was not sure how they would do that but the Pegasi would undoubtedly figure it out.

McKay was heading out when he overheard Tristan. "I believe we should wait until the guests are beginning to leave. That should be in approximately two hours. A great majority still remain but, when they leave, the Secret Service will be at its busiest again. I will post someone here at your door once we have left to not arouse suspicion. In the meantime, I suggest we go to our respective rooms and rest." He said this with a pointed look at Sheppard who ignored it all together. He would lay down in bed, armed and ready to go, but he doubted he would rest much. The image of Elizabeth caged like an animal was overpowering. He had not been able to reach out to her, or to comfort her by letting her know that they were coming.

Hey lay down on his bed exhausted. He should rest as much as he could. No doubt tonight was going to be challenging. His mind wandered somewhere in between sleep and wakefulness. He must have been closer to sleep because when he heard a knock at his door he started. He walked out of his bedroom to the foyer of his suite. He was still a little disoriented because it still had not crossed his mind that a knock at the door was odd. The Pegasi communicated to him with their minds and it should have been no different this time. He was already opening the door as he started to register that. He looked straight at a Secret Service agent.

"The President requests a short meeting with one delegate of the IOA."

Sheppard had seen the agent before. He was about to answer when all at once he saw his Pegasi lying on the floor over to the side. He was not sure who it was because he could only make out a foot behind the couch in the outer area. Just as Sheppard was going to sound a mental alarm he felt a small prick on his wrist. He mentally called Tristan's name as he lost consciousness, but was not sure if he actually made the call or just hoped he did.

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"The ships are ready Lord Tristan and our men at the Irish base are prepared for back-up if necessary. McKay and Lorne are already on board the Scabeur and the others are transporting now." Tristan was going to answer Etienne when he heard briefly heard Sheppard's alarmed voice in his head.

Etienne noticed the change in Tristan's face. "What is it, my lord?"

Tristan hissed through his teeth. "Come with me! There is trouble." Tristan inwardly cursed at himself. He had been too busy making the final arrangements for the rescue

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I have started Chapter Six and I hope not to wait six months to post. Thanks again dear friends. Thanks to highonscifi for betaing.


	7. Chapter 7

Well here is Chapter 7. Thank you for all the private messages and all feedback as well as story alerts. I am amazed at your patience! You know all know who you are and I hope I replied back to you. If I haven't I certainly will try to get back to you to say Thanks! This chapter is un-betaed because my beta has had RL come up including computer troubles so more mistakes perhaps than usual. Again all disclaimers, I make no money, don't any of the SGA characters just the ones I made up and do this for fun. Warning of more foul language in this chapter.

Elizabeth

Tristan hissed through his teeth. "Come with me! There is trouble." Tristan inwardly cursed at himself. He had been too busy making the final arrangements for the rescue and had only left one Pegasi at the door. How could one of his own been overtaken? His heart was racing as he and Etienne walked calmly to avoid suspicion on their way to Sheppard's room. It wasn't far but it seemed like an eternity. The hall to the suite was empty which was odd since there should have been a Pegasi there. Etienne and Tristan entered the foyer and saw Seamus on the ground slowly stirring.

Etienne kneeled next to him while Tristan looked through Sheppard's suite. Tristan stood still for a moment and closed his eyes to see if he could reach him mentally but there was silence. When he went out of Sheppard's room he saw Seamus on his feet with Etienne supporting him.

"Seamus are you alright?" Tristan said looking over the knight. Seamus dropped to Tristan's feet immediately.

"My lord. I failed! I failed him!"

Tristan grabbed Seamus' shoulders and helped him up. "Seamus." Tristan said softly. "This was not your doing. We all let our guard down in our excitement to rescue Dr. Elizabeth Weir. What happened?"

Seamus looked down slightly. "A secret service agent approached. His mind appeared calm, and unthreatening but…"

"But what," Etienne prompted as they processed the images that Seamus shared.

"Briefly it seemed…a façade. Before I could explore my thought further, he had grabbed my wrist and that is all I remember."

Tristan patted Seamus on the back. "It is alright my boy. It seems the plot thickens. I know where they will take the king. We will continue with our plans to rescue Dr. Weir as I am sure that is where he is. When he is able, he will alert us. For now we must act as if nothing is wrong. Seamus if you are well I need you to guard this door as if the king continues to be in there…resting and unavailable."

"I am well my lord."

"Good man. Nothing has changed Seamus. We will continue to provide you information as the rescue progresses. Be ready for anything."

Seamus nodded then stood post at the door. It was no use to chastise himself. He had long learned that letting mistakes bother you served no purpose, but he learned and he would never make this mistake again.

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Sheppard opened his eyes then closed them again to let the nausea pass. His mind was foggy, but he knew he was not back in his suite. His hands were tied behind his back and onto a chair. He focused on the room around him…sensed the 15 or so guards close but a lot more nearby. His mind began to clear and when a small window of clarity appeared he opened his eyes and immediately reached out to Tristan and sent whatever images he saw. He did not know where he was or how he got here, but he knew Tristan would find him. He saw the room he had a vision about and there was Elizabeth looking at him. She smiled and her hand was on the glass.

_We are here to get you out Elizabeth. _

She smiled at him and nodded as she sat down, but he did not know if that was because she heard him or just knew that was what he would say. He could sense her fear and that she was trying to reach back to him, but he only got vague images.

He growled in anger as he pulled on the twists tying him to the chair but they only tightened and cut into his skin. He looked down at his arm and saw an IV stuck in his hand. He reached out to try to control the mind of the nearest guard but for some reason he could not, perhaps the effects of the drug they had given him. He wondered if his mental message and image had actually made its way to Tristan.

"Don't get any ideas Your Majesty," he heard a familiar voice sneer. He looked up and saw the face of LaPierre. "We had information you might have abilities, though not confirmed we were told that keeping you well medicated should keep you under control just in case."

Sheppard said nothing but watched as someone with a needle inserted more medicine in the IV. The fog descended more readily and even his attempts to reach out to Elizabeth failed.

"So do you have powers Your Majesty?" LaPierre asked again this time putting his face up to Sheppard as if to get a good look at the king. He should have been close enough to see the look in Sheppard's eyes, the subtle change from compliant to furious. If LaPierre had seen that he might have been able to get out of the way of the head butt Sheppard delivered with lightning speed and force. LaPierre stumbled back holding his nose and a broken pair of glasses.

"Yes, apparently I do still have the power to knock you on your ass," Sheppard said with a menacing smile. Sheppard watched LaPierre closely and noticed the ex IOA member make eye contact with a thug standing behind Sheppard. So the king knew what was coming and did his best to minimize the impact of Thug 1's blows to his head. He focused on one name, Teyla, to escape the present events and somewhere between thinking of her and hearing LaPierre shout to Thug 1 to stop, Sheppard lost consciousness.

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Tristan looked at O'Neill and waved him to the left while Etienne and his team took the right. The king had sent a clear image of the layout an hour ago but Sheppard had not connected since. Silently they moved to rescue their king and eliminated multiple threats along the way. Tristan prayed it was not too late. He comforted himself with the thought that he was sure that they he would know if something had happened to the king. When Sheppard had taken the stone in the cave he became inextricably linked to the Pegasi, but Tristan found it disconcerting he could not reach the king's mind right now. He was likely unconscious and hopefully only that, but he should still have at leased sensed his presence.

Tristan peered through a dirty window and saw the king tied to a chair and someone hitting him. He appeared to be connected to some tubing with a needle inserted into his arm. Perhaps he had been drugged and this made it difficult for him to connect to the Pegasi. Tristan sent the image to the others and laid out the plan. He looked back to McKay to make sure he had seen the image and understood the plan. McKay nodded in understanding and moved into position behind Etienne and Lorne.

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Sheppard spit out the blood from his mouth as he glared at Thug 2. Thug 1 must have gotten tired or bored as he left with LaPierre as soon as Sheppard had recovered consciousness. Thug 2 was more verbal as he tried to interrogate Sheppard to no avail. Sheppard couldn't help but smile. For all that he had been through in the past three years, this was child's play. He shook his head at the thought realizing that what he had been through was not normal for a vast majority of the world, or galaxies for that matter. "You may not think this so funny, Sheppard. It seems that you are not persuaded by your own torture," LaPierre said returning.

Sheppard coughed and spit out more blood to hide his laughter. Is this what this administrative warrior thought was torture? The Pirates of his homeworlds had done better. LaPierre continued. "In that room where Dr. Weir is being kept is a canister of a new gas we are creating. It is painless but quite lethal. That canister has a very small explosive that will discharge the gas into the container of that well sealed room. You see, we would not like for it to escape out here. But that gas is plan B. Well actually C. Plan A has not really worked since you are not giving up the information voluntarily. So I must resort to Plan B now. I did not want to do this because I do respect Dr. Weir."

Sheppard was about to tell LaPierre to shut up. Didn't he ever watch movies where if you talked too long when you were the bad guy you gave the good guy a chance to make a move? However a flash of white caught his eye and Sheppard felt his heart become icy with dread. He tried to hide it from his face but by the smug look on LaPierre's face he did not completely mask it.

"So we have a few partners to help us."

It was déjà vu. LaPierre droned on. "We know we cannot use the threat of the Wraith against you. You know what that feels like, however, Dr. Weir does not. You can spare her this of course if you just tell us what you need to know."

Sheppard started at the Wraith that was shackled and obviously eager to feed. He stood just outside Elizabeth's cell.

"Where did he come form," Sheppard growled.

LaPierre shrugged. "He is on loan to us."

"From whom?" Sheppard pulled on his restraints as he tried to reassure Elizabeth but the fog still surrounded him slightly. Maybe if he focused he could clear it but it was like driving in a snowstorm. Sheppard closed his eyes and withdrew into himself until he could begin to sense the minds around him. Slowly the cloudiness began to ebb but it was a struggle.

When he opened them again, he saw the Wraith being led into Weir's cell. Sheppard felt his anger rising. "Stop this now!" he ordered. He continued to pull on his restraints and they loosened slightly. Sheppard could feel his mind strengthening as he heard LaPierre's voice.

"It is you who can stop this Sheppard."

Sheppard had been fighting the effects of the medication and suddenly all at once , he felt the presence of his Pegasi, the Wraith mind, La Pierre and the others. He looked directly at LaPierre with cold eyes, and he could feel the darkness that he had tamed, swirl around inside him. LaPierre took a step back as he saw Sheppard's eyes, but the king turned his attention away from the politician and to the Wraith who was approaching Dr. Weir.

Sheppard reached out for the Wraith mind and immediately made contact. His men were moving in but not soon enough to save Elizabeth. Sheppard with barely a thought took the Wraith's life and froze the two Thugs that had been holding him. He turned to fix his attention on LaPierre but the man had disappeared as chaos had soon ensued. He felt someone behind him beginning to loosen his restraints while Etienne was shielding him with his own body as bullets were flying everywhere as reinforcements had been called in. The Pegasi were making quick work and the gunfire ceased at least momentarily.

Lorne quickly but carefully cut Sheppard's restraints form his bloody and bruised wrists. He handed Sheppard a weapon and they moved quickly to find cover.

"We need to find LaPierre."

As he said that he turned toward where Elizabeth was and saw LaPierre was in the cell with her. He was holding up the remote detonator in his hand and he was wearing a mask.

ooooooo

"You better stay back Sheppard. I am protected but she is not. "

Sheppard stood in the middle of the warehouse and stared helplessly. He never should have let her come back to Earth. He could have prevented it…forbade it.

'_What will you do John. Hold me hostage…you can't do that.' _ She had told him with a smile just before he left. Bullets started flying again as more reinforcements had arrived, but Sheppard trusted his men would take care of it because nothing would prevent him from getting to Elizabeth. She was struggling with LaPierre now and he sprinted toward her.

oooooo

She knew that he would come for her, and that the real threat was not the gas inside but the explosive outside meant to kill him as he tried to rescue her. LaPierre was holding the detonator to it and had explained his whole plan to her because he was an arrogant bastard. She turned and hit LaPierre in the groin as the fool gloated, and he toppled to the ground. The detonator toppled beneath the bed and she scrambled for it, but he grabbed at her feet. She kicked him in the face and he yelped in frustration and pain. She easily blocked his feeble punch to her face though she had not expected that from him. She could sense Sheppard calling out to her now as she let her guard down. He had been trying to reach her, but she did not want him to feel her thoughts, or her fear. He would blame himself and he needed to think. He was 25 yards away and closing fast. LaPierre shouted something and the gunfire got even heavier, but somehow the bullets missed the king. She tried to tell Sheppard to stop, but his mind was raging hot as adrenaline fueled him faster toward her. She pushed LaPierre again way from the bed and the detonator with a kick to his knee. Elizabeth turned her gaze to the left and caught sight of Tristan on the scaffolding. In the seconds she heard LaPierre bark another order she desperately reached out her mind to the Pegasi and let her know of the danger. Tristan swiftly turned his head to her with his eyes wide. She smiled as she knew that he had heard her as he quickly made his way to the ground and was running to intercept Sheppard.

She managed to punch LaPierre again when she realized she did not feel well. She looked at the former IOA member and he looked genuinely sad. "I am sorry Dr. Weir. You left me no choice." He turned to reach for the detonator as she sat down realizing there was nothing she could do. She was already exposed and she was quickly losing control of her muscles. She looked out toward Sheppard in time to see Tristan tackle him. A split second later the explosive charges went off and the building shook but held. She felt sleepy. There was no pain and she was grateful. He would blame himself, but it was not his fault and she tried to tell him this. She saw Sheppard struggle against Tristan's weight and he made eye contact with her. She smiled as she closed her eyes.

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"Get off of me damn it! Get off," Sheppard roared just as the explosion went off. Tristan shielded him from rubble. Fortunately the trap had been set with the intention that one had to be nearly on top it to be killed. Tristan could feel the king pushing against his mind, to control him, force him off, and the Pegasi had to concentrate hard to not be overcome. "Get…off…of …me!" Sheppard roared again as he struggled underneath Tristan. The king was looking toward the cell, saw Elizabeth smile then close her eyes.

Tears were streaming down Sheppard's face now. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" he cried out over and over again.

Tristan turned. The bullets had ceased, and all threats neutralized. The Pegasi could sense the stillness of all his men as they turned and watched. Sheppard's voice carried in the empty building. "Get off…we have to save her!"

He had managed to sit up but Tristan held him tight from behind. "We have to help her now!" Sheppard said with almost a sob.

Tristan's heart broke. "We cannot my lord. The gas is still in there. If what La Pierre says is true, we could all be exposed."

Sheppard struggled some more but Tristan kept his hold tight. "God damn it let go of me!" Sheppard shouted. "Elizabeth!"

"Dr. McKay, see if you can clear the cell of the gas," Tristan ordered into his mike. He got an acknowledgement and knew that the scientist was at the control panels within seconds since the resistance had been neutralized. Sheppard had managed to break free momentarily but Tristan quickly had hold of him and by then Etienne had made his way to assist Tristan.

Sheppard reached out to Elizabeth, but he knew she was gone. He had sensed her leave in those last few moments when she opened her mind to him. He knew there was nothing he could do to bring her back. He cried out again and again in fury.

As he struggled to keep Sheppard under control, Tristan continued to bark orders, but this was a strain as Sheppard was railing in Tristan's mind to let him go. Within a minute, McKay indicated the room was clear of any gas or other threats.

Lorne caught sight of La Pierre trying to flee in the chaos and alerted O'Neill so he could intercept the rogue IOA member while he went to the room. Lorne confirmed if it was clear of remaining gas and when he received the acknowledgement from McKay, he entered. Lorne knelt and checked for a pulse but found none. He looked up to where Sheppard was. The king finally had pushed the Pegasi away and had gotten to his knees. He made eye contact with Lorne. The Major shook his head sadly and swallowed hard the lump in his throat.

For a minute, Sheppard's eyes looked blank. Then Lorne saw them change, dark then almost golden and Lorne felt a chill run down his spin.

Sheppard stood and every muscle looked tight and the muscles on his neck bulged with barely contained fury.

Tristan could sense the approaching darkness. He could see Sheppard's muscles shaking. The room was still but there was a sort of pressure that was becoming uncomfortable.

"My lord," Tristan started quietly.

Sheppard snapped his head around with eyes that burned like fire but sent cold chills to Tristan's heart. "Do not speak to me," he said in a low voice. "We could have saved her." Tristan knew this was no time to reason. Even if Sheppard had honed his ability to heal for which they had not yet practiced, the dead could not be brought back to life on Earth. He grimaced as the energy coming from Sheppard's fury touched his own mind.

Lorne had scooped Elizabeth up and carried her out of the cell. Sheppard had commanded him to bring her, but the Major feared what would happen. Sheppard did not look like Sheppard right now and alarm bells were ringing in Lorne's mind. He walked carefully over the rubble and made his way to the king. He stood there not knowing what to do. Sheppard closed his eyes for a moment and the tension in him seemed to go. He looked away for a moment and seemed to think then finally allowed him self to look down at Elizabeth. She only looked like she was sleeping and Sheppard really wanted to believe that she was, but her mind was not there. Her body was just a shell now. His eyes watered and he looked up as McKay came running up. "Take Titus and take her home to Atlantis. Take care of her Rodney. Keep her safe until I get there…please."

McKay looked at Sheppard with tear filled eyes and nodded slightly. "I will John." Sheppard fixed a loose hair on her head then nodded and Lorne handed her over gently to Titus who left with McKay. Tristan watched the abated anger return quickly and the Pegasi turned and looked at Etienne with a worried look. Etienne acknowledged his concern. This anger was powerful and frightening in its potential.

Sheppard directed his attention back to the cell and looked at the men that had been captured. Pawns no doubt and he ordered them removed from the area for transport to Atlantis. Tristan could feel the fear coming off of them as they watched the king staring at the cell. Suddenly there was a commotion, and they all turned toward a group of Pegasi lead by O'Neill.

The general had LaPierre in tow. O'Neill turned and looked into the empty cell and Tristan watched him search around looking for Elizabeth. O'Neill was going to ask where she was until he saw the look in Sheppard's eyes. For once O'Neill decided it was best to say nothing. He could feel LaPierre shaking slightly under his grip. Realization hit O'Neill. Elizabeth was gone. Even when it looked like the gas had been let loose, he thought McKay somehow had pulled off a miracle and Elizabeth was only injured. They had done it so many times before. How could this be different? He let go of LaPierre in disgust as Sheppard approached. O'Neill grimaced as the pressure in his head increased and his body felt heavy. _Oh shit. _

LaPierre felt it as well because he fell to his knees. Sheppard look down at him.

"Do you know what you have done?" the king finally said. His voice was tight, low, and unforgiving. LaPierre did not even look up and remained silent. Sheppard grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to his face.

"I said do you even know what you have done!"

O'Neill might have felt pity for LaPierre, but the bastard had it coming. It was an unfair question and no matter what answer or non-answer he gave it would not satisfy Sheppard.

"I am…sorry," LaPierre managed to squeak.

"Sorry! You self-righteous pompous bastard. I should kill you now."

_I could do it with simply a thought._ LaPierre looked at him wide eyed as he heard Sheppard in his mind. The voice was cold and dark. _She was worth a thousand of you!_

LaPierre gripped his head.

"Who put you up to this? Who were the Wraith on loan from?"

"I…I don't know." LaPierre whispered.

"Don't tell me you don't know," Sheppard said pulling LaPierre closer, "Who the hell put you up to this!"

_I can take it from your mind you filthy bastard, but there won't be anything left of it so you better tell me now._

LaPierre looked up at Sheppard in horror. Tristan and O'Neill exchanged glances. The king was walking a fine line; one they had only heard of but not witnessed when he was stabbed with the blade of Erebus.

"Tell me!"

"I…I…his name was Gareth."

"Gareth?" Sheppard searched his own memory, but found nothing. He let go of LaPierre who fell back to the ground. "Gareth. That is all?"

"He never used any other name…and I never saw him."

"You never saw him! You are a bigger fool than I even first thought. You son of a bitch! You have endangered this entire world and exposed it to the Wraith and you don't even know who you are working for?"

LaPierre cowered further.

"What other IOA members are working for you?"

"No one. That is why they threw me out after the incident on Atlantis."

"Then who else because you could not have done this alone."

"No one else. Just Gareth. He said…he said you…"

Sheppard kneeled down and was face to face with LaPierre. "He…said…what?"

"He said you were dangerous…would ruin this world…and"

Sheppard's jaw hurt from being so tight. "And what did he promise you?"

LaPierre seemed to shrink even further as he closed his eyes, but did not answer. He jumped when Sheppard shouted again, "What did he promise you!"

LaPierre opened his eyes and looked up at Sheppard. His fate was in this king's hands and nothing would change that. "He…he said I would be a leader in the new order."

Sheppard cried out in fury as he stood. He looked at the empty cell, remembered Elizabeth's smile and thought how there were Wraith on Earth now under someone's control. All because of this man's greed! He roared and could see the darkness in him swirl. The snake was ready to strike. He had contained it for so long but he let the power of his anger course through him and cried out until he was nearly hoarse. He looked down at LaPierre and withdrew his weapon and held it to the traitor's head.

"My Lord no!" Tristan said moving forward, but Sheppard glared back at him and held him in his place. He looked back down at LaPierre who was visibly shaking now and pleading for his life. The fucking coward had the nerve to plead for his life!

Sheppard could feel his hand shaking and tears were streaming down his face. _Yes, yes take his life. He deserves to die. Take it! _ The voice long silent told him. Sheppard sobbed. "Elizabeth deserved better! Earth is in danger you bastard!" He knew it was wrong. He should not pull that trigger, but everything in him wanted to. _Do it son of Evander!_

"Son," a quiet voice intruded into his thoughts and he felt a presence next to him and a hand on his shoulder. "Son. This is not the way."

"He deserves to die!" Sheppard's voice shook with anger as he turned to look at O'Neill from the corner of his eye.

"I know. But you know what this will do to you. I can feel it in you. Don't let that side win out. You have come too far and too many people are counting on you." O'Neill knew exactly what Sheppard was feeling. He had lost men, wanted to kill who was responsible.

Sheppard kept the gun pointed at the nearly hysterical LaPierre but felt O'Neill's hand on his own. It stopped shaking under the strong grip of the general. He looked at O'Neill. The brown eyes were warm and had their own tears in them. "She would not want this," O'Neill said softly. "Not for you."

Sheppard let O'Neill take the gun from his hand and collapsed in the general's arms and let the tears run. Tristan grabbed LaPierre and handed him to Etienne who took him out of the warehouse. Tristan gave O'Neill and Sheppard space but waited.

"It was my fault! Oh God it was my fault!" Sheppard cried. O'Neill held him close and shed his own tears. "No son. It wasn't. It wasn't but it's going to feel like it." They sat together for some time until they could not cry any longer.

Sheppard was exhausted. The snake was back in its cage but the anger returned once the tears dried up. He looked at O'Neill thankfully and helped him up. He knew what he had to do.

"Tristan." The Pegasi approached and bowed deeply.

"Yes my lord?"

"Institute Orion."

Tristan nodded as Sheppard quickly shared his plan with O'Neill as well.

"We are shutting them off?" O'Neill asked.

"Somebody has made the wrong deal with the devil, and I won't let them get off this planet or endanger Pegasus. Elizabeth's death won't be in vain."

"John."

Sheppard turned around. "I won't abandon them, but I have waited long enough and Pegasus needs to be our focus. The Asgard will watch over them as we agreed. We can come back anytime, but they can't get to us or anywhere else."

O'Neill nodded. "I will talk to Thor." McKay had found a way to help the way to help the Asgard with technology on Arcadia. No one knew they had managed to save them except O'Neill, McKay, and Samantha Carter, certainly not anyone from Earth and by the look on Tristan's face this was a great surprise to him as well. O'Neill smiled. It was hard to keep that little secret so well.

Sheppard turned to Tristan. "We need to go back to the White House."

Tristan nodded then bowed and left to make the preparations for their return to the White House and institute Orion. His own mind was spinning hearing the Asgard were still alive.

Sheppard turned back to the cell. "I'm sorry Elizabeth." He allowed the tears to well up again but did not let them fall. He pushed it back and redirected his focus. The anger not quelled completely fueled his focus and it would drive him to do what he had been born to do.

xxx

Thanks again for your patience. Chapter 8 is halfway done. I can't believe it has taken me so long to do this so thanks for hanging in there with me.


	8. Chapter 8

Well here you go. Record time compared to all my other chapters. Goodness, I had no clue that I have been working on this for two years. I appreciate your reviews, favorites, PMs, follows etc. I promise to keep plugging. Thanks to my beta highonscifi and to each of you. I tried to respond to your feedback when I could but some were guest or did not allow replies but I cherished them as well!

Chapter 8- A King's Power

It was a quiet trip to the White House but, thankfully, very quick. O'Neill had alerted Thor-much to Tristan's surprise and glee, having thought the Asgard lost to them forever.

It was an advantage having a ship like the Scabuer that could be hidden from plain sight and also from radar. However, Sheppard was right. No one would trust them because of this technology and someone would always want it. Sheppard nodded to Gaius, who took the controls.

"Okay," Sheppard said quietly, "Looks like the President is up late. Gaius, recall Seamus and our belongings then standby in case we need you. General O'Neill, Lorne, Lord Tristan and I will inform the President that we are leaving."

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Crowley did not hear them enter, only sensed something…dark and sad and angry. He rubbed his temple as he looked up and stood up immediately in shock.

Sheppard looked a mess and O'Neill and Tristan did not look much better. They had weapons pointed down to the ground. "John!" Crowley said moving away form the desk, "What…what has happened?"

Sheppard looked directly at Crowley. His eyes were glistening and he was tired, but the anger was unmistakable. Crowley approached cautiously and spoke very slowly. "John…what happened?"

"Dr. Weir is dead," said looking beyond Crowley as he spoke then directly at the president.

"What?! How?"

Sheppard did not hesitate and showed Crowley rather then spoke. He was still numb, but sharing the memories threatened to bring it back to the surface. Crowley staggered a moment and grabbed the desk to steady himself.

If having his mind invaded by Sheppard's memories bothered the president, he did not say. The images were devastating and overwhelming. He knew at that moment that John Sheppard would never belong to Earth. No one could have that ability and remain here unbothered. In fact, he probably never belonged to Earth. "I am so sorry John. I…I did not know."

Sheppard knew this to be the truth, but it made no difference. He got to the point. "We are removing the Stargates from Earth. We will not allow travel to Atlantis or Pegasus from Earth. If anyone wishes to leave our worlds they will be transported back via ship at our earliest convenience." His tone was hard and empty.

"You can't do this John, we will be sitting ducks!" The Goauld and the ORI were not an active threat but there was always a possibility of a resurgence.

"You don't understand. There are Wraith on Earth. Maybe a small number, but they are being led by the person responsible for all of this. I can't let Pegasus be threatened and we can't fight on two fronts. If you need help, it will be here, but there are not enough to be a threat to Earth if you can unite and get things under control."

"What do you mean, you have no right to do this!"

"I have every right to protect my people. It is Earth that has ruined this relationship!"

"But you said we have Wraith on Earth," Crowley added weakly.

"The bigger threat is the one leading them."

"Who is he?"

Sheppard was about to say something when the office door opened unexpectedly.

"Gareth! We have terrible news," Crowley said looking around Sheppard.

Lorne had been watching it all, and at that moment time seemed to slow down. He saw Sheppard turn slowly and realization flashed across the king's face all at once.

"You," Sheppard growled. He was standing square and his fists were clenched, and Lorne instantly knew that this was the one responsible for everything. The Vice-President had been leading this all along. He had manipulated the IOA, used LaPierre and killed Elizabeth.

"You are responsible for all of this!" Sheppard targeted his mind toward Gareth who immediately went to his knees. He pushed through the man's mind to learn more but only made it so far before Gareth managed to put up some defenses and push back. Nonetheless, Sheppard had seen enough. He looked down at Gareth in disgust.

"Your mind is not as strong as you think," Sheppard said coldly. Tristan knew that the king had taken Gareth's thoughts. The coldness of the king's mind is what concerned him. There was a darkness that continued to linger. As Tristan scanned Gareth's mind-though he could not read it now that his defenses were up-there was a familiar darkness there. It was as if wherever that part of Sheppard came from, it had the same flavor as Gareth.

"What the hell is going on?!" Crowley said moving next to Sheppard. "John, what are you doing?"

Sheppard turned and shared his thoughts. It had become so much easier than trying to explain with words.

"Gareth? Is this true, why have you done this?"

"I don't need to explain anything to you," Lorne heard Gareth say just as he saw movement to his own right. He had seen that agent before with the Vice President. Before he had time to react, gunshots rang out and Lorne went down. Tristan and O'Neill both focused on that threat when a shot rang from behind them. Tristan turned in time to see Sheppard pulling down the President. In the chaos somehow Gareth slipped out knocking O'Neill in the face on the way out. Five seconds of all hell breaking loose-then it was over.

"I'm fine John, thank you," Tristan heard Crowley say just as he saw O'Neill pulling himself up shakily to check on Lorne. Tristan was going to help O'Neill as Lorne appeared badly injured when he heard a grunt. He wheeled around toward the president. Crowley was looking down at his shirt where there was a red stain that was unmistakably blood. The President looked up at Sheppard then up at Tristan. "It's not mine."

Tristan quickly knelt next to Sheppard who was coughing slightly. "I'm okay," the king managed. Tristan ran his hands over Sheppard's head, neck and shoulders. He lifted his hand away from Sheppard's shoulder and it was red. "Aye. You're fine alright."

Sheppard let Tristan remove his vest until he heard a gurgle and O'Neill trying to assist Lorne.

"Hang in there buddy," O'Neill said with a wince as he pressed down on Lorne's chest. O'Neill looked around and locked eyes with Tristan. "We need to go now!"

Lorne tried to speak but only looked frantic as he choked on his blood. "Don't worry son, Thor will get you fixed up pronto. " O'Neill reassured with a smile but blood was pumping through his fingers. Where the hell was Thor?

Lorne knew he was dying. The bullet had pierced his vest. He coughed up whatever blood had made his way to his throat but it did not matter as more quickly replaced it; and he heard himself cough again as he was choking on his own blood. It hurt to breathe but he wasn't a quitter and he fought to stay conscious even as he felt coldness sweeping across his body and the pain brought tears to his eyes.

"Your majesty, no!" Tristan shouted, but Sheppard mentally rebuffed him then turned his attention to Lorne.

O'Neill heard Tristan say something but did not turn his focus away from Lorne until he felt a presence next to him. Sheppard was on his knees as he gently pushed O'Neill to the side. The king was in obvious pain and the wound on his shoulder did not go unnoticed by O'Neill. "What the hell are you doing?" O'Neill said.

Sheppard did not reply as he placed his hand on Lorne's chest and spoke in Ancient. Lorne felt a presence and his eyes drifted toward Sheppard. He cried out he felt pressure on his chest. Lorne weakly placed his own hand over Sheppard's but did not move.

_Your body is my body and your wounds my wounds. Do not be afraid because I will not let you go. I will not let you go._

Sheppard focused his mind on the wounds and directed energy to repairing the most urgent damage first. He willed cells to repair themselves and blood to clot where it was needed and to continue to flow elsewhere. He knew his XO had lost a lot of blood but that could be replaced. He never took his eyes off of Lorne and through his own fingers, he gave Lorne a part of himself-and Lorne's blood stopped pumping through them.

Lorne kept his eyes locked on Sheppard's. He felt the pain and the panic slowly dissipated. Warmth coursed through his body and he felt the light of life replace the coldness of the death he knew would have come. He did not know how long they had been there…it seemed forever and yet it could not have been. Sheppard's eyes watered and Lorne knew it was from the effort and the pain, perhaps his own or perhaps what he had taken from Lorne. Tears stained Lorne's own cheeks because he could feel Sheppard's mind connected to his own. The connection he felt at this moment was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was as if he and Sheppard had become…

_Brothers._ Sheppard whispered in Lorne's mind as the king sank back and Tristan was there to catch him.

"Fool boy," Tristan growled, "You have not been trained."

Sheppard grimaced as the pain in his shoulder flared at the movement. "No one else will die tonight," he managed to say. Crowley knelt down next to John as more Secret Service agents came rushing into the room, including the chief agent named Steiner. He had worked closely with the Pegasi on security for Sheppard. "Find the vice-president and Agent Baras," Crowley said.

"I beg your pardon sir?" Agent Steiner said.

"The vice president tried to kill me and these men saved me!"

Hard as it was to believe, Steiner did not doubt the look in the President's eyes and the scene before him. He immediately began alerting the others and was in pursuit.

Crowley looked over at Lorne then down to Sheppard. "John," he said quietly, "I am so sorry. What do I need to do?"

Sheppard looked up at Crowley. "Find him. Find Gareth and unite the nations again and disband the IOA. I'll come back then."

Tristan handed the president a ring and a paper with a number. "Use this when you have found Gareth."

Crowley did not have time to respond as Thor beamed them up. Crowley was left alone in the office except for a team of agents. He stared down at a pool of blood and tried to understand what, exactly, had happened in the last five minutes. He turned to one of the agents since no one else was in the office. "I need to speak to the Secretary of State."

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Sheppard knew he was not on Earth anymore. He looked immediately for Lorne, felt his mind and, although still injured, he knew Lorne would not die now. Sheppard smiled but was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him. It seemed chaotic and he managed to hear Tristan scolding him as pressure was applied to his shoulder. His own wound was not serious but he was aware that he was sick…saving Lorne had sapped him severely of his own energy and all he wanted to do was sleep.

O'Neill looked over at Sheppard and got a reassuring nod from Tristan. He felt a hand on his arm. "You look terrible General," Lorne whispered.

O'Neill smiled. A flash of a frantic, drowning and dying Lorne flashed in his mind but he shook it off. "Yeah well you don't look so great yourself."

Lorne managed a smile. He didn't feel great, but he was alive and felt a whole lot better than a couple of minutes ago. The Pegasi, Milinus, was working on him and Lorne knew the bullet was still in him, but he was not dying. "I would prefer not to complete your treatment here," Milinus said, "You are stable and I have given you something to mitigate your pain. You have been given a great gift."

"I know," Lorne whispered as he looked over toward Sheppard. He kept his eyes open long enough to see Milinus turn his attention to O'Neill's battered face.

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"Thor," Tristan said. Sheppard and Lorne were asleep and even O'Neill had been persuaded to rest. "We had thought you lost forever." The rest of the Pegasi had come through with only minor scrapes and had communicated that Orion had been initiated and they were on their way back to meet them at Atlantis once they spoke to the Pegasi that had remained behind. "I am so pleased to see you."

"It is also good to see you, Tristan of the Pegasi. It has been some time."

"Yes. The last we had heard was that you would soon cease to exist."

"Yes, we had thought this, but once King Armentarius had taken his throne, Dr. McKay was able to find a missing piece to what we required in our work. Col Samantha Carter and O'Neill helped us. We have been concerned with the direction Earth has been taking for some years, so we thought it best to 'lay low' as O'Neill says. We have also reconnected with our lost brethren in the Pegasus Galaxy. They had all but given up hope. I will be making contact with them."

"Do you plan to join our fight with the Wraith?"

"We owe a great debt to Evander's heir and to O'Neill, but we have agreed that we will support as needed and watch over Earth in the event it becomes disconnected from Pegasus."

"Yes," Tristan said leaning back in his chair. "The King has seen to that."

Thor nodded slightly but his attention was directed to behind Tristan. The Pegasi saw what looked like bemusement on the Asgard's face, though it was extremely subtle given the general lack of expression.

"Well, well, it is good to see your little gray butt again. I have to say though, maybe looking a little less gray."

"Thank you O'Neill. It is good to see you as well." Tristan smiled as he stood.

"I will leave you two to catch up while I go check on the King and Major Lorne," he said as he left.

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Lorne was sleeping peacefully. They had managed to remove the vest and his jacket and shirt. There was a great deal of blood around his chest and neck and what had run along his side. There were bandages on top of his wound and the Asgard monitors indicated that he was stable. Tristan walked over to Lorne and touched his mind-gently reassuring him. "You have earned your keep, Master Lorne, and we have learned more about you in the process." Milinus had run Lorne's blood work in preparation for surgery. It was a quick test to run his DNA. Tristan had his suspicions when he first saw Lorne, but they had not had a chance to test his theory until now. "It is time to join your true brethren among the Pegasi." Tristan sighed as he walked over to Sheppard.

The King looked very pale. Milinus assured him that there was no danger as the wound was cleaned and had not damaged arteries, but Tristan knew that saving Lorne could have cost Sheppard his own life. Yet, the natural instincts of the king had been good. He had acted quickly and used just enough energy to save Lorne-though the Major would still need further ministrations.

"I cannot determine if your stubbornness is a gift or a curse, John Sheppard." He sent reassuring thoughts to the King as well and was glad that his sleep was peaceful. There would be much for the king to deal with in the very near future, thought Tristan, as his mind drifted to thoughts of Elizabeth Weir.

He sat there a while watching over his charges. This trip had only been two days long and they had lost Elizabeth Weir, discovered Gareth, cut off Earth with the hope the IOA would be wrested of its power, and nearly lost Lorne and the King in the process.

"You should get some sleep, Lord Tristan," a quiet voice said.

He smiled. "Etienne, my friend. I thought you would have been resting by now." Tristan looked his friend over. There was some dried blood in his blond hair and a bandage covered part of his left eye. "You are injured."

"Only minor, Tristan. I am well. Though it seems that you have come across, again, unscathed."

"Skill, my friend…skill."

Etienne huffed. "So you always say." Tristan laughed. "How is the King?" Etienne asked quietly watching Sheppard sleep.

"Physically, he will be fine. The wound is serious but not life threatening. He is weak-very weak-from saving Lorne."

Etienne nodded and was silent for a while. He sighed but still said nothing further.

Tristan smiled slightly then turned to the blond Pegasi. "What troubles you, Etienne?" Tristan knew what it was. It was something on all of their minds.

"The thoughts of the king…were reminiscent of Erebus and his kind and…and of the Enemy."

"I know. He was infected with the blade of Erebus, battled him, and defeated him but nearly lost himself in the process."

"What if he is unable to contain his thoughts in the future? It is very unexpected that the King is able to have the kind of power he has with regards to taking a life-overpowering a mind to that degree."

Tristan sighed. "Not even Evander could know that his heir would have been fed upon by a Wraith and the iratus, or be nearly killed by the knife and poison of Erebus. The King has the remnants of Wraith DNA and iratus DNA because of what he has been through-including nearly being converted into a beast. All of this while enduring what Evander had left for him. It is a wonder his mind and his soul have survived at all. The son of Capys has proven to be a good mentor to him and now he has us to rely on."

Etienne sighed. "I know the King has endured much, but his abilities are far more than we expected."

"He has been trained well, but we must continue to help him. Besides," he said looking at Sheppard, "if the loss of Elizabeth Weir did not make him lose his humanity, then I am not sure what will."

Etienne nodded as he looked over at Lorne. "And what of Master Lorne and his discovered heritage?"

Tristan smiled. "He will know soon enough and, hopefully, will join our ranks. Thor stated we should be in Atlantis within five hours. Get some sleep, my friend. Our king will need us very soon."

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Carson sighed. It was like the old days…here he was in the Atlantis infirmary waiting for an SG team commander to recuperate from surgery. This time it was two of them-Sheppard and Lorne-now a king and his knight. It had been a few months since they had faced anything significantly traumatic with Sheppard, in particular. Now all hell would break loose. Carson mourned Elizabeth and Rodney had said virtually nothing since returning with her body to Atlantis. O'Neill had explained the events. They were going to regroup here at Atlantis before heading to Arcadia. Titus had gone ahead to make the arrangements.

"How are they?" A quiet voice asked from behind him. Beckett turned. McKay looked exhausted-probably had not slept all night.

"They are going to be fine, Rodney. I had some work to do with the Major. I can't believe he survived that wound, but General O'Neill told me that our King saved him. He had lost a good deal of blood but he is undergoing transfusions now and I removed the bullet. John is fine. A bullet in his shoulder but that, actually, was not serious. He has been asleep for a while and Tristan says that it may be some time before he wakes because, in a sense, he gave a part of himself-his own life force, so to speak-to save Lorne."

McKay looked at Sheppard, then Lorne, and seemed deep in thought for a moment. Carson had no doubt the great mind of McKay was working, trying to figure it out. "Not like the Wraith…more like the Ascended?"

Carson sighed. "I don't know. Maybe a hybrid of the two. More like John Sheppard, King of the Armentarian worlds. I took a sample of Lorne's blood and there are traces of John's DNA."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know…just waiting to see what happens." Carson turned his attention to McKay. "How are you doing, Rodney?" The scientist was unusually quiet and not complaining.

"Fine…well as fine as…you know."

Carson smiled slightly. "Aye, I know. Here," he said handing McKay one pill. "Take this after a nice shower, and I want you to go get some rest. They will be fine. You really do need some rest."

McKay hesitated a moment and looked in Carson's eyes. The doctor smiled again, "You can't do anything else tonight; and you won't be any good without sleep. John is going to need you later…we are all going to need each other."

McKay nodded without saying a word. He was actually looking forward to simply succumbing to the oblivion of sleep. He knew he needed it. He took the pill and quietly walked out of the infirmary.

Beckett checked once more on both Sheppard and Lorne. Satisfied that they were stable, he went to his lab nearby to rest and examine any changes in the blood he had drawn from Lorne.

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Samsus looked at the Guardians. They had not expected to hear the news of Elizabeth Weir or of what happened to Lorne and to the King. Thankfully, they had survived, but Samsus and the Guardians knew this would have an impact on Sheppard. Saphistides took it hardest, having spent a great deal of time with Elizabeth during the initial and subsequent negotiations.

"The King's chambers and Major Lorne's chambers have been prepared for their recovery," Samsus said. There had been silence for some time as they took in all the news from Earth. He had known before and had set in motion what needed to be done.

"Thank you, brother Samsus," Saphistides said quietly. The Guardian then looked up. "What would the King want us to do with Elizabeth's remains?"

"I am not sure," Samsus said. "Their burial traditions are similar to ours; but I am not exactly sure at what level or how private the King would want it."

Saphistides nodded thoughtfully. "We will make arrangements to keep her until he recovers enough to let us know."

Samsus bowed slightly. "We have made those arrangements and Titus has returned to Atlantis. We are sure the King would want to bury her on these worlds and not in the waters of Atlantis-or at least that is what Teyla has said based on a conversation she had with Dr. Weir some months ago."

Saphistides smiled slightly. "We are thankful to you, Samsus. When will the King and Major Lorne arrive with the rest of the Pegasi?"

"In a few hours. Dr. Beckett is preparing them now."

Saphistides stood. "Well, brothers, we have much to do."

With that they left quietly. Samsus sighed. Perhaps there would be many more days like this…days of sadness and loss. He discarded those thoughts. He could sense that they were ready. All was ready, and perhaps they could quickly defeat the enemy.

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He slowly opened his eyes. They were like lead because he felt so tired. Why did he feel so tired? He saw McKay sitting by his bed, working on his computer as always. It took too much effort to say anything or keep his eyes open so he closed them and stopped fighting to stay conscious.

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He didn't know how long it had been since his last attempt to wake up, but he heard people whispering and he found his heavy eyes trying to open again. He managed to glimpse Teyla and Ronon quietly talking. He managed to get his eyes open and he slowly looked around. He was on Arcadia in his chambers. He tried to move but his muscles did not want to comply and the ones that did, ached. He studied the gold Arcadian symbol on the light blue wall, then tried again. More success, a little more pain and this time a slight groan escaped his lips.

Teyla and Ronon stopped talking when they heard Sheppard groan. "Hey buddy," Ronon said with a broad smile. "Glad you're finally waking up."

Sheppard tried to smile. It was good to see Ronon and Teyla. Teyla approached him and held his hand. "We were worried about you, John."

It was good to feel her warm hand. He had missed her. Perhaps she had forgiven him. He looked in her eyes and, though he could she was happy to see him, there was a deep sadness in them and in Ronon's eyes as well. He looked past them…Elizabeth.

He took in a hitching breath. With the adrenaline worn off he could feel everywhere Thugs 1 and 2 had hit him, where Tristan had landed on top of him, and finally where the bullet meant for Crowley had torn through his shoulder.

"Lay still John," Teyla said, "I will get Carson."

"No," John managed to whisper. "No, I'm fine. Please. Just leave me alone for a while."

Ronon was going to say something when Teyla placed a hand on the Satedan's arm. "Okay John. Get some rest. I am sure Carson will want to check on you later."

He nodded slightly and managed a smile. His bed was comfortable, tempting him to just stay there and sleep. Sleep was a respite from the pain and from the memory of losing Elizabeth.

After a few minutes, he sat up slowly, pushed himself through the soreness, and put his feet on the ground. He shivered and reached for the robe at the foot of the bed to cover his bare chest. Slowly, he stood, walked toward the window, and looked out. The sun was a few hours from setting, and he didn't even know what day it was or how long he had been here. He walked over to the washroom and looked in the mirror. The wound in his shoulder was healing nicely. Carson had done a good job, as usual.

He washed his hands and noticed the rings on his wrists where he had been tied. He closed his eyes but opened them quickly when a flashback of Elizabeth smiling at him appeared. He slowed his breathing as he splashed his face with water. He looked into the mirror again and saw his own hazel eyes blazing with the fury he felt in his heart.

Feeling stronger, he walked over to his wardrobe and picked out a black pair of pants and a navy blue shirt with intricate embroidery on the cuff and mandarin collar. He slipped on the riding boots and reached for the belt that held the knife of Evander…no...his own knife now, no longer Evander's.

He walked out of his room, surprising the two Guards at his door who bowed deeply when Sheppard exited. He was surprised that there was no one else in the hallway. He was glad for it. He didn't want to talk to anyone just yet. He made a left down the corridor. There were only guards scattered in the usual places and they came to attention when he passed. Usually he would greet them but he ignored them today.

His muscles started to feel better as he walked more and he could feel his strength returning. He sensed several people meeting nearby so he took an alternative route to his destination. Two guards were posted outside the door and they immediately came to attention when they saw him. Sheppard made eye contact with the one that opened the door and nodded slightly.

He saw Lorne lying on the big wooden poster bed. Surprisingly, there was nothing attached to him, not even an IV. He walked up slowly and reached his mind out to the major. Lorne's eyes fluttered open and he looked around until he made eye contact with Sheppard. He smiled and seemed to try to get up until Sheppard put a hand on Lorne's shoulder.

"No, don't get up Evan."

"Sir, are you okay?"

Sheppard smiled. "Yes, I didn't get a bullet in the chest."

Lorne laughed. "No but you did kinda get most everything else." Lorne grimaced slightly as he tried to get more comfortable; but he looked at Sheppard earnestly. "You saved my life. I don't know what you did, but you saved me."

Sheppard sat in a chair. "Yeah. I am not exactly sure myself. Hey, do you know how many days we have been back?"

"Three days."

_Three days. I have been asleep for most of three days. I need to take care of a lot of things. Take care of Elizabeth._

"I feel different, sir."

Sheppard roused himself from his thoughts. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It's like something has been changed in me…awakened; but it also feels like we are connected…you gave me something when you saved me."

"I know. Tristan will know and maybe Carson. Look...I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. That it wasn't all a dream...you know?"

Lorne suddenly looked sad. "I wish it had been a dream..."

Sheppard stood up. "Me too," he said quietly. "I am glad you are okay. I am going to need you. I have some business to take care of here and then we need to take care of the Wraith."

Lorne looked at Sheppard. "I'll be ready."

Sheppard smiled slightly and nodded. "I know you will. Rest up. I want you 100%, not just okay."

"The same should be said for you, Your Majesty," a familiar voice chimed.

Sheppard turned around annoyed. He should have sensed Beckett coming in through the door but his mind had been elsewhere.

"I'm fine, Carson," Sheppard said, trying not to sound irritated.

"I will be the judge of that," Beckett said with a mild scolding in his voice.

Sheppard smiled softly and his hazel eyes met Beckett's blue ones. He put a hand on Beckett's shoulder. "Not this time, Carson. I have things I need to take care of."

Beckett sighed. He knew there was no stopping Sheppard. He had seen that look in his eye and, truth be told, Beckett had no medical authority over him-only what he could muster through mutual respect.

"You still need rest, lad," Beckett said quietly. "I will have supper sent to your room later.

Sheppard nodded. "I promise. Take care of Lorne."

Before Beckett could answer, Sheppard left. The King nearly ran into Samsus as he exited Lorne's room. The older man bowed. "Your Majesty, I have been searching for you."

"I know," Sheppard said quietly. He had felt many minds trying to reach out to him, but he had not answered. "Please have the Guardians, Tristan, and my old team meet me in two hours."

Samsus nodded quietly. "I will." Sheppard turned to leave when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and looked into his mentor's eyes. "I am so very sorry."

Sheppard sighed and looked away. He was not ready to go there. "I know. Thanks."

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The muzzle was soft on his cheek. Zorthos nickered and sniffed Sheppard. "Hey, take it easy boy. Jeez! You are worse than Beckett." The horse neighed and shook his head. "I'm just saying..."

Sheppard put the hood of the cloak over his head. The sun was going down, but he did not want to be seen so he took a different route toward the beach. He could see his own breath in the cool air. Winter was coming.

Zorthos, uncharacteristically, was content to walk. Sheppard wanted to be alone-truly alone-for a while, and the only way to do that was to sneak out of the castle and ride. He could smell the water as he neared the beach; and the sound of the waves crashing got louder. Zorthos sniffed the air and quickened his walk until they reached the sand and the horse came to a stop when they neared the water's edge. Sheppard looked out toward the setting sun, then bowed his head and cried.

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Hope you liked it. I have to warn you I have not started the next chapter as work and start of school has kept me occupied but I will get on it ASAP. Thanks as always for your continued interest and inspiration.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello my dear friends. I do say friends because if you actually opened this up to read after waiting so long then what else can I call you? Only a friend is so patient and forgiving. I honestly don't know why I am having so much trouble getting this done except the reality of RL (I have traveled to 10 places in the last 12 months and three times out of country). It has been hard, but I am amazed that it has taken me this long when the others came so quickly. I don't know if I should pause this until I get it finished so you don't have to keep waiting or maybe I will try shorter chapters. I will finish it because no story should go unfinished, but I will just struggle through. It's also hard now that Stargate Atlantis has been off the air far to long and too soon I might add. I hope this chapter does not disappoint but I had to build a bridge toward the next phase of the story. I have to also tell you that my story is un-betaed. I did not want to put my dear beat highonscifi under any time constraint to post this as soon as possible, so any mistakes are all mine own doing. I have so many other stories in my mind to include Star Wars and X-Men. But I don't want to write/post those until done with this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SGA or other mentioned characters except my own creations. If I owned Sheppard et al., we would still be seeing SGA adventures, but I am grateful for their creation. Don't make any money from this, that is why I have been traveling so much!

Chapter 9-So It Begins

The fisherman watched the king. He had seen the young heir many times. Often Armentarius would stop and talk with him briefly. The fisherman considered it a secret pleasure that the king took every now and then—to sneak away with no guards or entourage to be alone and speak to his people. It was obvious to day that the king was troubled. The fisherman had heard a story that something had happened recently. Preparations were being made for a private funeral. The black beast was very still as the king sat atop of him with his head bowed. The fisherman was transfixed with the utter stillness of the Equinari and the king. Suddenly they turned and began to walk slowly back toward the castle. The fisherman watched them for the longest time. Armentarius kept his hood on and his head bowed until the old man could no longer see them as they walked beyond the hill.

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Everyone kept their distance from Sheppard the last few days, and it was quieter in the palace than McKay could remember. He sat next to Ronan and Teyla as they quietly waited for the service to begin. Titus had worked with Samsus to make all the arrangements. McKay thought it odd for one of the Pegasi to do this at first but then realized despite being warriors they all had unique rolls. Titus apparently was the diplomat but also the fixer of the group. He was blond, smaller than most of the other Pegasi but had a commanding presence as well as a calming one. Tristan was obviously the leader with Etienne his second. They had a doc, a weapons expert and maker, even someone who managed their finances on Earth. McKay looked over at the gathering Pegasi in their uniforms. No armor but still all black with unique silver embroidery around the neck and down the side of the pant leg. They did not wear the usual riding boots this time but rather shoes that were shined probably for hours. They spoke quietly amongst themselves and waited near the entrance to the sanctuary until without any warning they immediately organized themselves into two columns with space between them. A door opened quietly and Sheppard strode through followed by Tristan and Etienne.

The ranks closed behind the king and they walked quietly behind him as he made his way to Elizabeth's casket. She was actually cryo-preserved and looked like she was sleeping. Somehow McKay found relief in that. He looked down as he felt warmth around his hand. Teyla smiled at him though her cheeks were stained with tears. He patted her hand gently and smiled back. They had already said their good-byes last night. McKay was not sure if Sheppard would say anything because he had hardly said a word at all since returning back, but Sheppard who had increasingly become eloquent in his speech, did speak. He did not say much but what he said had described Elizabeth perfectly. McKay could see something behind Sheppard's eyes. It was guilt perhaps. McKay had been there…seen everything and heard Sheppard cry out until his voice was nearly hoarse. After Sheppard was done, they each took turns saying something. Teyla had sung a beautiful song. Today was just the blessing and then they would put her body with Sheppard's first teacher Sophistides.

Samsus and the Guardians were dressed in white robes and it was Samsus who had led them in prayers. McKay sat quietly as images of Elizabeth flashed through his head, her smiling, getting angry at him, worrying about all of them like a protective sister. Sheppard moved over to Elizabeth's casket and placed his hand on it and whispered something quietly.

The king then turned to Samsus and nodded slightly. The Guardians moved in as Sheppard stepped back to rejoin the Pegasi who had begun to chant a solemn sounding vesper of sorts. McKay sighed as the tomb was closed and the Guardians silently moved away. When the Pegasi were done, Sheppard walked over to the tomb and placed his hand on it. McKay heard Teyla gasp slightly as a symbol embedded in the stone rose with Elizabeth's name in Ancient text and an intricate symbol glowing blue. Sheppard kept his hand there for a few seconds then took it off. The text and symbol remained illuminated for a few seconds before they started to fade. Sheppard led the procession out, followed by the Guardians. Ronan stood to help Lorne who was sitting very quietly next to the Satedan. Lorne walked slowly with Ronan's help followed by Teyla, McKay, O'Neill and Caldwell then the royal family representatives and a contingent of some personnel from Atlantis.

They processed into one of the ballrooms where a luncheon had been set up.

Teyla entered the ballroom. Sheppard's table was as always elevated above others but otherwise there was no order. The royal family members interspersed with members of the Pegasi and Atlantis representatives. Those at Sheppard's table often remained the same at events like this. Tristan, Etienne, Ronan, herself, at least one of the Guardians, O'Neill and sometimes Caldwell though today the Colonel was with his wife and some personnel from Atlantis. She felt Sheppard calling her quietly in her mind. She turned toward him and smiled as she made her way to her seat next to him. She was upset with their last conversation but they needed each other right now and any problems could be worked out. He looked at her and with a very slight smile, pulled the chair for her as she sat. They ate quietly with only hushed polite conversations going on around them. He needed her presence there, but she knew he would not speak. She wanted to ask him how he was doing…wanted him to ask her how she was doing, but he said nothing as if speaking would break the dam that held back his emotions. He was not ready but she also knew he needed her.

When he was ready, he would speak, if he ever were ready. In the meantime she watched him pick at his food. They had celebrated Elizabeth's life earlier, with funny stories, and memorable events, but Sheppard was in his own world right now and the only one he actually seemed comfortable speaking to was Lorne and O'Neill at least at the moment.

_He will be fine my lady,_ a gentle voice whispered in her mind. She smiled as she turned to Tristan. _He blames himself._

_He always does_.

_Most great leaders do, but he will recover and we shall see to it_.

Teyla knew this was probably true and she could only wait until that day.

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Ronon could not remember the last time they weren't busy doing anything. Now, he had plenty of time to workout with Teyla, the Marines and even some of the Pegasi who were quite formidable. It had been a week and they had not seen very much of Sheppard. McKay was busy with Dr. Daniel Jackson who had returned from Atlantis to attend the funeral and remained to work together on hunting down the legendary Wraith Queen Tristan had mentioned to Sheppard. No one knew when Sheppard would make his move but they could only wait and prepare. Ronan made his way to the training ground to work with the Pegasi. Etienne was leading the training today, so if nothing else, Ronan knew he would be exhausted tonight if not battered and bruised….just how he liked it. His sadness would fuel his anger, which today would make him formidable, even against a living Ancient. He smiled when he saw Teyla waiting to join in the practice. It would be a good workout to be sure.

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He had learned to be almost invisible. His palaces communicated with him much the way Atlantis had. Each had their own voice so to speak and even personality. They weren't exactly sentient so to speak but they certainly had character almost like pets. His palace on Arcadia had a mischievous bent if he were to characterize it ,and that is why Sheppard liked it the best.

He watched Ronon and Teyla practicing below. He knew that is how they dealt with things. He should be down there like he use to be, but he just wasn't the same anymore. He had fought for so long against being King Sheppard, almost lost himself when he threw away John Sheppard after his fight with Erebus, and now here he was. He was King Armentarius, but what did that mean now? Maybe he just felt tired, but he knew the truth. It was the same feeling when he lost his mother and his friends. It was grief and he hated that feeling. This time though, he felt impotent. This time he was within reach, and he failed. He looked once more toward his friends then turned and walked toward his chambers feeling even more alone. He smiled weakly at the guard at his door. It seemed unnecessary to have one given his abilities, but tradition was tradition as the Guardians liked to say.

He sat in the library that was off to the side and laid his head back against the soft leather chair. He _was_ tired because he had not slept well since after losing Elizabeth. He watched the sunset then closed his eyes and listened to the water in the distance.

He had not stopped dreaming or rather having nightmares about the night they lost Elizabeth and it was hard for him to talk to anyone. He had eaten lunch on his own and only quiet dinners occasionally with Teyla, Ronon or McKay. Things were still tense with Teyla, but she was supportive of him and frankly he needed her. He wanted to blame Tristan even though he knew it was not the Pegasi's fault…it was his.

"No John. It is not your fault." Sheppard's eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet. He squinted at the shadow. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He should have thought to reach out his mind, to get a sense of who was in front of him or to send out an alarm, but he had forgotten that at the moment as he stared at the familiar silhouette. "You always blame yourself, but it's not you John."

"Wha?" he started to ask, until the shadow moved into the light. His mind raced and this time he could hear his heart pumping. He stepped backwards a few steps as she moved toward him until he felt the edges of the leather chair against his knees. He sunk in the chair slowly as she continued to move toward him. He must be losing his mind or hallucinating, which was possibly the same thing. He looked at her with tears threatening to fall down his cheeks when he felt her warm hand.

"I am here John," she said softly. He looked up at her and the tears did fall, but she was gone. "Elizabeth."

The shadow was gone as well but he could sense her she had been here, but she was not alive. He was not sure how this was possible because her remains had been cryo-preserved.

"Because she is dead and it is your fault," he heard the voice echo in his mind. It was a good thing he did not have to worry about flying status anymore because he would have been DNIF'd by now. He had defeated the darkness and it had not control over him but Erebus could still harass him from time to time. Sheppard stood up and looked out toward the distant ocean again. Erebus was right and he could feel his anger building almost like it had when he wanted to kill LaPierre. Energy coursed in his mind, and he felt it go down to his finger-tips. He needed to do something but there was nowhere for that energy to go, nowhere to unleash his wrath. He closed his eyes and saw the energy swirl within him and let it course through him, then he imagined it shrink and settle in his heart. It would stay there until he accomplished his mission.

It was time for him to take action against the Wraith, but there was a ceremony to be taken care of first.

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Lorne stood in front of Sheppard, who was dressed in his black Pegasi armor and was sitting on his throne with the long black robe wrapped around covering his boots. Behind him stood all of the Pegasi. Sheppard looked at Lorne seriously and the major felt the intensity behind the king's eyes. He was more sullen and serious since Elizabeth's death, but it had only been just over a week and most of them were not themselves. Sophistides in particular had been the hardest hit because he had worked so closely with her.

Lorne was able to walk without assistance but he was not completely healed and it would be some time before he could join his team. But things were different. Lorne had more dreams about Exeter, his Ancient ancestor he had learned about some time ago but knew very little about. But there was also someone else…someone that looked a lot like Titus except with dark hair.

Lorne was going to get down on his knees when Sheppard held up a hand. "No Evan, you don't have to kneel. I am glad you are able to walk on your own."

Lorne smiled as he raised his head after bowing. "Thank you Your Royal Highness."

"Do you know why you are here?"

Lorne looked around. He had a guess but was not exactly sure why he had been summoned or why he had been ordered to wear the simple white silk shirt, black pants and boots. No one had ever told him how to dress since he had been here, until now.

"Not exactly but something must be up."

Sheppard actually laughed softly. "You have known that you descend from an Ancient called Exeter."

Lorne nodded. "Yes."

Sheppard stood. "Exeter gave his life saving Evander and Capys from Erebus during one of the last battles before they left for Earth. He had no family that remained here but he had a child whom he had sent ahead with his wife, Calista. That child Dominicus had two children…Titus and Tiberius."

Lorne's mind was reeling as images of these people came to him. He had a great-grandfather named Tiberius, but he had died when he was 4. He barely remembered him.

Sheppard continued. "The Pegasi Tiberius fought along side the Pegasi and had his own line of which you and yes your great-grandfather Tiberius descended…He was killed nearly 30 years ago by Gareth. I did not know this until I touched Gareth's mind."

Lorne almost felt dizzy with the news and he remembered one incident when he was six…one that left him alone and without any family. Sheppard was watching him and Lorne did not notice the king approach him followed by Titus. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Tiberius came back…and saved you." Tiberius was the one with the black hair, like his own.

"The gunman," Lorne started to say as he searched his memories, but he was only six and he only remembered shadowy images.

"Was Gareth."

"Why would he do that?"

Sheppard looked away for a moment then back at Lorne with sadness. "Gareth's whole purpose was to hunt down and destroy any Pegasi or their children."

Lorne looked up in realization. "To prevent all of this…from us coming to Pegasus. To prevent you from coming."

Sheppard nodded. "The Pegasi protected their children the best they could, hunting down Gareth and who ever else was working for him for a while. The Pegasi thought he had died when Tiberius saved you, but he obviously didn't."

"Tiberius was punished for helping you." Titus stepped forward. "After ascension he was prevented from ever returning or ever seeing me or even you again." Titus looked at Lorne with the same mirror blue eyes. "It has been hard for us. I did not have children of my own, and no longer having Tiberius has been difficult if it were not for my brothers of the Order. When I saw you, I saw Tiberius in you. Though we were twins we were not identical, but I was not sure until the King saved you."

Lorne did not know what to say. He was more connected to Sheppard than ever before- his own genes enhanced with whatever Sheppard did to save him, but here he was standing in front of his uncle.

"Kneel Lorne, son of Tiberius," he heard Sheppard say. Lorne began to comply slowly. Sheppard frowned. "Sorry Evan it was part of the script I have memorized," he whispered as both he and Titus helped Lorne to his knees. The rest of the Pegasi moved around them in a circle.

"Evan Lorne, son of Tiberius, by your ancestry and more importantly because of your proven bravery and loyalty, will you accept admittance to the Order of the Pegasi?"

Lorne looked up. No longer part of the Earth Imperial Guard but rather the original one. He nodded then cleared his throat. "Yes. Of course."

"Do you accept the oath to give your life to protect Evander's Heir, his lands, his people and your brother knights?"

"I do accept it." Lorne said. Titus was smiling and moved to gently help Lorne up. Tristan handed Titus a breastplate and the Pegasi placed it over Lorne's head and tide it on either side with Etienne's help. Seamus moved forward with a belt and handed it to Titus so that he could tie it around Lorne's waist. One by one members of the Order handed Titus or helped him put on the armor of the Pegasi. Once he was completely dressed, they stepped back and Sheppard moved forward and stood in front of Lorne. In the flats of his palms he held a knife.

"You wear the armor of your ancestor, and now it belongs to you Evan. Accept also now the blade of Tiberius and your place among the Order of the Pegasi."

Lorne looked down at the blade. It was glowing in Sheppard's hands. He looked at his king's eyes briefly then down at the blade. He reached out his hand and took it by the hilt and watched how Tiberius' name appeared when he held it alongside that of Dominicus and Exeter. Sheppard smiled. "And soon your name too. Welcome to the club."

Lorne smiled back. He had a family again. He felt Titus put an arm around him. "We have a great deal of catching up to do."

Sheppard enjoyed the moment. He had learned to live that way a long time ago, but more so now than ever. His family had grown as well and he would do anything to protect it.

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It wasn't a very large Hive and the Queen was young, but Sheppard would not take anything for granted. They had taken over five weeks to plan and practice the attack and the Scabuer was more crowded than usual with their attack force. Another similar ship flanked them followed by Ronon and a contingent of Atlantean forces that had been training with the Pegasi for a long time. Even McKay was along for the ride to provide his technical expertise though the Pegasi had their own geek named Alexander. Sheppard had figured McKay would be jealous but the scientist was proud to be an equal in mind amongst some of the Ancients and Alexander, though a warrior like the rest of the Pegasi, seemed to enjoy someone who was not bored discussing theories, and astrophysics or whatever else crossed their minds.

Sheppard sighed as he silently plotted their course. O'Neill sat next to him agreeing to co-pilot and provide back-up support. The General could not stay out of the fight no matter how much he complained his knees hurt. To be honest, even with Tristan and the rest of the Pegasi here, Sheppard was glad O'Neill was nearby. The older warrior and he had been through a lot the last few years and no one really understood what he had been through than him. Ronon was thriving as he now lead a team of his own though Ronon always made it a point to have dinner with Sheppard and the rest of his old team. Lorne was missing as he was still recovering, but Teyla was not here either. She did not say anything to him about not being able to go off-world or on missions, but the space between them had returned. She was polite and supportive. They were still mourning the loss of Elizabeth and so they had not argued about Teyla going on missions or even leaving Sheppard's worlds, but it would be something they would have to work through. It was just Sheppard, Tristan and O'Neill in the cockpit and each seemed lost in their own thoughts. Sheppard suppressed a sigh but he cleared his head and pushed all other thoughts not related to the mission aside. It was time to get to business.

"How much more time do we have General?" Sheppard asked as he turned to O'Neill.

"Fifteen minutes. " O'Neill replied looking down at his instruments. "No sign that they have seen us."

"Good," Sheppard answered looking up from the instruments. "We should lay the charges at the center of the hive."

He thought for a moment that it should bother him, sneaking into a hive and killing everyone or at least hopefully every Wraith. This warfare was even different than the type of warfare he had fought before coming to the Stargate program. He had already tangled with this and come to terms with it. The Wraith would not quit and would continue to destroy humanity and feed off of them like cattle. He had his scientists working on a way to change the Wraith…so they could be given a choice to live with new dietary habits. He would still have to find the one Tristan spoke of…the one above all the Wraith or at least feared by all. He heard Tristan informing the strike team to begin their preparations.

They were cloaked so he was not worried about being seen. This hive was nestled deep in a crater on the uninhabited planet.

"We should meet little resistance since our scouts reported they are hibernating except for the main drones."

"Yeah, it almost doesn't seem fair."

O'Neill turned to Sheppard. "We can't play fair. They outnumber us and even with your new Jedi skills, we need to hit them as fast and as hard as we can. We are lucky that you have the roadmap of where they create new Wraith in your noggin. If we can hit the reproducing queens first then they may even the playing field."

"Maybe but we need to find Wraith number One, or we can never rest."

"Do you know where to go?"

Sheppard nodded. "Yeah sort of but we need to clear the chess board first or we have no chance for checkmate." He wasn't exactly sure, just a general sense he could point Jackson in to reduce the scope of the hunt.

Tristan looked up from his instruments. "I recommend a landing spot about here," he said pointing to the HUD. Sheppard nodded and silently piloted the Scabeur to the designated landing zone. This target was selected because it was isolated, and it was good initiation for the Pegasi and some of his Army leaders to get their feet wet. It was a training exercise of sorts because all of the men on this team, including Ronan would be leading future teams to do exactly the same thing on their own. It was the only way they could make ground because Sheppard could not be everywhere.

He gently settled the cloaked ship a mile from the entrance to the hive. He reached out his mind and took a mental count of the beings he sensed. It took him a while because he wanted to be sure. O'Neill watched him patiently. The general could feel Tristan's mind gently touch his and he turned to face the Pegasi. Tristan looked to Sheppard then back to O'Neill.

_You and I will be on his flanks._

O'Neill understood perfectly and nodded_. Like always. Covering his ass._

He could feel Tristan chuckle in his head and wondered if that made him a Jedi too. He could feel his own abilities growing slowly as they used them more and more. He found himself in conversations when around the Pegasi or even Sheppard and would realize no one was speaking out loud.

_Not yet…Padawan. _Then the chuckle again.

_Smart ass. _Tristan only smiled at this. O'Neill was a great warrior already, but he was still learning to use the abilities passed on to him by the blood of Capys. Tristan worked with him when he could as well as Lorne.

"Would you two stopping playing around," Sheppard said trying to look annoyed. Tristan bowed his head respectfully.

"Yes of course my lord," Tristan said with a slight smile at O'Neill and was reward with a glare and a muttered _oh brother_.

0000000000000000000

It wasn't a fair fight. Sheppard stood over the queen, and if she hadn't tried to overpower his mind and kill Tristan, he might have almost felt sorry for her. He didn't feel sorry for her. He felt nothing as he ordered her to die and she obeyed with venom and hatred directed at him.

Tristan had been watched Sheppard as he extinguished the life of the Wraith Queen. It had been so long since he had seen a Wraith, the possibility of encountering them exhilarated him. He could feel it from all of the Pegasi and the Armentarian strike team lea by Ronan. They were fulfilling their duty finally. Tristan had managed to take out one of the male leaders guarding the Queen but it required so very little effort. He was pleased that all of their training, as they waited for Evander's heir, had paid off. It had gone better than he expected.

He could sense no feelings from Sheppard…no anger, no exhilaration no fear…nothing. Sheppard's ability to use his mind to kill the Queen was astonishing, and Tristan had not expected that, but perhaps he should given what he had witnessed and heard. However, to see it first hand was simply astonishing and frightening. Tristan did not have this power. Sheppard stared at the Queen with slight curiosity then looked up and noticed Tristan staring at him.

"Well done, Your Highness. You have become quite formidable in your skills."

Sheppard half shrugged as he turned to see O'Neill checking in with the others. "Yeah. I guess I have. It wasn't easy though with all the damn stones…the pain, etc. etc. Still…I wonder if I should feel bad or something. I don't feel anything at all."

Tristan put his hand on Sheppard's shoulder as they turned to leave the throne room. O'Neill indicated the charges had been set, and Tristan nodded his understanding. He led Sheppard toward the exit.

"We do not relish killing my Lord, nor do we feel ashamed when it is necessary. You have saved thousands today and millions in the future. The Wraith must die or they must be changed."

Sheppard thought on that a moment. "I hope we can figure out the formula to change them. I have a feeling they will want an option soon."

Tristan nodded in agreement as they made their way back into the Scabeur. "Agreed. Dr. Beckett and Milinus are very close. Interestingly it is something that Milinus has worked on while on Earth. We knew that destruction of the Wraith was necessary unless we could change them in some way. We doubted they could be persuaded out of good will since their dietary needs are quite set."

Sheppard did the final checks and signaled to the others the lift off. He turned to Tristan. "They are. But we might be able to persuade them if we get the right one."

Tristan eyed Sheppard carefully. "You know someone," he said finally.

"Yeah I think I do," Sheppard said quietly. Tristan sensed the conflicted feelings of Sheppard but said nothing. He would wait for the young king to discuss it further when he was ready.

Tristan heard O'Neill confirm that the other teams were safely aboard their ship "We are ready Your Royal Highness."

Sheppard nodded. "Light it up, General, and let's get the hell out of here."

O'Neill gave an order and the Scabuer shuddered slightly as they lifted away from the exploding Hive Ship.

They spoke very little. There was no exhilaration and no regret, only a silent acknowledgment that life had been taken and it was necessary for their survival.

The war had finally begun.


End file.
